As far as the MDGs are concerned, only 16 percent of countries are on track to meet the child mortality target and, on average, the poorest fifth of the population saw child mortality falling half as fast as the general population (Wagstaff and Claeson 2003). Though not one sub-Saharan African country is on track to meet the child mortality target, overall progress toward reducing child mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa was faster in the 1990s than the 1980s. In the developing world overall, most countries are on track to meet the child health goals.
