New York, Sept 14: Child deaths worldwide have reached a record low, falling below 10 million per year for the first time to 9.7 million, down from almost 13 million in 1990, according to the United Nations.

The credit goes to campaigns to combat measles and malaria and promote breast-feeding, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) says.

"This is an historic moment," UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said.

"More children are surviving today than ever before. Now we must build on this public health success to push for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals," she added referring to the ambitious targets set by the UN Millennium Summit of 2000, which include slashing by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five by 2015.

Of the 9.7 million children who die each year, 4.8 million are from Sub-Saharan Africa and 3.1 million from South Asia.

In the developing world, child mortality is considerably higher among children living in rural areas and in the poorest households. In developed countries there are just six deaths for every 1,000 live births.

The Latin American and Caribbean region is on track to achieve the child mortality Millennium Development Goal, with 27 deaths on average for every 1,000 live births, compared to 55 per thousand in 1990, the statistic show.

There has been significant progress in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Under-five mortality has declined 29 per cent between 2000 and 2004 in Malawi.