An estimated 90 babies will be born in Bosnia and Herzegovina on New Year’s Day, UNICEF said today. Bosnian babies will account for 0.0002 per cent of the estimated 395,072 babies to be born on New Year’s Day.
In cities around the world, revellers will welcome not only the New Year with great festivities but also their newest and tiniest residents. As the clock strikes midnight, Sydney will greet an estimated 168 babies, followed by 310 in Tokyo, 605 in Beijing, 166 in Madrid and finally, 317 in New York.
Fiji in the Pacific will most likely deliver 2019’s first baby; the United States, its last. In Eastern and Europe and Central Asia, 15,758 babies are estimated to be born on January 1, 2019.
Around the world on January 1, families will welcome countless Alexanders and Ayeshas, Zhengs and Zainabs. According to the 2013 Census, the three most popular male names in Bosnia and Herzegovina are Marko, Luka and Amar, whilst Sara, Ajla and Amina make up the top three female names.
Unfortunately, in several countries, many babies will not even be named as they won’t make it past their first day.
In 2017, about 1 million babies died the day they were born, and 2.5 million in just their first month of life. Among those children, most died from preventable causes such as premature birth, complications during delivery, and infections like sepsis and pneumonia, a violation of their basic right to survival.
“This New Year’s Day, let’s all make a resolution to fulfil every right of every child, starting with the right to survive,” said Geeta Narayan. “We can save thousands of babies in Bosnia and Herzegovina if we invest in strengthening clinical standards for services provided to both mothers and the babies and ensure that local health workers have the most up-to-date, evidence-based skills and knowledge on neonatal health and necessary medical equipment, so that every baby is born into a safe pair of hands in a safe environment.”
