On May 9, 2023, United Nations agencies and partners reported that an estimated 13.4 million babies were born pre-term in 2020, with nearly 1 million dying from preterm complications. This is equivalent to around 1 in 10 babies born early (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) worldwide.

The report includes updated estimates from WHO and UNICEF, prepared with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, on the prevalence of preterm births. Overall, it finds that preterm birth rates have not changed in any region in the world in the past decade, with 152 million vulnerable babies born too soon from 2010 to 2020.