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Every day, more than 5,000 women around the world endure the heartbreaking experience of stillbirth. Many of these tragedies seem sudden and inexplicable – leaving mothers grieving, traumatized and searching for answers. But the truth is, most stillbirths are preventable when women have access to timely, high-quality care during pregnancy and childbirth. And when a stillbirth does occur, there are critical steps health systems can take to support families – through compassionate care and accurate, respectful documentation. New estimates from the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), drawn from data across 195 countries, show that while progress has been made in reducing stillbirths, it is not happening fast enough — especially compared to gains in child survival. The burden remains immense, and it falls hardest on women in the world’s poorest and most fragile settings. This report sheds light on the latest data, the preventable nature of stillbirths, and the urgent actions needed to accelerate progress and honour every life lost.