Geneva: World Prematurity Day 2025 highlights the urgent need to give preterm babies a strong start in life and ensure every child has a hopeful future.
This year’s theme aligns with the WHO’s ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ campaign, emphasizing that a strong start is about more than survival; it’s about helping these tiny lives thrive and one day transform the world.
Failing to provide specialized care for preterm infants risks losing immense potential. Notably, history’s brilliant minds, such as Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Pablo Picasso, were born prematurely. The campaign raises the question: what potential brilliance could be lost today without proper care?
It’s #WorldPrematurityDay
Every year, 15 million babies are born too soon.
Too small. Too early. And far too vulnerable to life-threatening complications.But with the right care, most preterm and low birth weight babies survive. They can go on to thrive and lead wonderful… pic.twitter.com/dp8NWHJmby
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 14, 2025
The initiative calls on countries to
- Invest in specialized neonatal care, including units, trained staff, dedicated spaces, and life-saving equipment;
- Strengthen maternal health services to prevent preterm births and detect complications early;
- Support families with emotional, financial, and practical resources for tiny babies; and
- Ensure equity, so survival is not determined by geography or income, giving every baby the best chance to thrive.
Globally, 1 in 10 babies is born preterm, before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Without effective care, they face life-threatening conditions such as respiratory distress, infections, and hypothermia, resulting in hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths annually.
Governments, health systems, communities, and individuals all share responsibility for protecting these vulnerable babies and supporting their families.
A landmark year
First launched in 2008 by the European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants (now the Global Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, GFCNI) and parent organizations, World Prematurity Day has grown into a global movement.
In 2025, the World Health Assembly officially added the Day to WHO’s international health calendar, recognizing its pivotal role in improving child survival and well-being.
While traditionally observed on November 17, the WHO has designated November 15, 2025 as the official World Prematurity Day going forward, creating a dedicated day to raise awareness about preterm birth and advocate for quality care for every baby born too soon.
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