Nearly eight million babies were born into wars, displacement and climate disasters in 2025.
Many of them were delivered in unsafe conditions as health systems collapsed under conflict and extreme weather.
An analysis of UN data by Save the Children shows that about 7.7 million children – roughly 23,000 every day – were born into 43 humanitarian crises worldwide by the end of November. The figure is about 10% higher than in 2021.
Most of the births occurred in conflict-affected settings, including Sudan, Gaza and Yemen, where shortages of food, damaged hospitals and restrictions on aid have left mothers and newborns at serious risk.
Globally, the number of children living in conflict zones reached a record high last year.
Save the Children has called on governments and donors to protect funding for maternal and newborn healthcare.
The organisation warned that most deaths are preventable with access to skilled birth support and basic medical services.
In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, ongoing fighting has destroyed health facilities and livelihoods.
Shekinah, a 26-year-old mother from Goma, said she feared she would die during a complicated pregnancy before receiving free, life-saving care at a hospital supported by the organisation.
In Yemen, where aid cuts have forced health programmes to scale back, an estimated 1,800 babies were born into the crisis every day this year.
Murad, eight months old, survived severe malnutrition after being treated at a Save the Children-supported clinic.
“Many babies are fighting for survival from the moment they are born,” the organisation said.
It urged political action to end conflicts and strengthen fragile health systems.
