UNITED NATIONS, Sept 12: The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) called on Friday for accelerated efforts to save young people’s lives as new figures indicated that the rate of deaths of children aged under five continued its long-term decline around the world.

The mortality rate has fallen by some 27 per cent since 1990, according to the data released by Unicef.

Last year there were 68 deaths for every 1,000 live births, compared with 93 deaths nearly two decades earlier.

Bangladesh, Bolivia, Laos and Nepal have made particularly impressive advances, more than halving their mortality rates since 1990. This also ensures they are on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that calls for a two-thirds reduction in child deaths by 2015.

Unicef said the improvements had been felt worldwide.