Tracking the situation of children during COVID-19

To date, children are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic rather than the face of it. Yet children around the world have had their lives upended because of actions taken to contain the disease. Families are facing heightened stress under lockdown with many experiencing financial insecurity. And children are missing out on life-saving vaccines and much-needed free meals because of the suspension of services. While others experience increasing threats to their safety and wellbeing as services that prevent and respond to violence, abuse and neglect are suspended. Many children, especially the most vulnerable, even risk losing their lives to preventable diseases because access to healthcare is disrupted. Measures taken by governments to contain and mitigate the pandemic are having persistent and far-reaching impacts on children’s lives.

This dashboard is based on quarterly updates of recent data collection efforts from UNICEF country offices drawing on best available sources in each country, including administrative data or representative survey data collected in the last 3 months; or where necessary, extrapolations from reliable localized quantitative and/or qualitative reports. Estimates may not accurately represent the full national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.