Countdown to 2030 for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health

What Countdown to 2030 for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health does

Countdown to 2030 for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health is a multi-institutional global health monitoring collaboration founded in 2003 (as Countdown to 2015) and rebranded in 2016 to align with the Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative tracks progress of life-saving interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) through an integrated portfolio of products: country profiles (RMNCAH, equity, and early childhood development), an R Shiny application for routine health data analysis, six specialized Data Analysis Centers (Equity, Health Facilities, Health Financing, Effective Coverage, Geospatial, Health Policy and Systems), multi-country studies, an annual African fellows program, and convening annual meetings.

The initiative operates as a public good with no commercial pricing — all outputs are freely available. Its core technology stack centers on DHIS2 (District Health Information Software 2) data extraction and quality assessment, R Shiny visualization, geospatial analytics (via WorldPop), and statistical coverage/equity measurement. It is governed by a Steering Committee co-chaired by APHRC and WHO, with administrative and fiscal management distributed across APHRC (Nairobi, lead secretariat), Johns Hopkins University, the University of Manitoba, and the US Fund for UNICEF.

Countdown is funded primarily by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Phase III 2022-2026) with partnership support from the Global Financing Facility, and serves government ministries of health, public health research institutions, UN agencies, and early-career African researchers across 26 GFF-supported countries and 36+ African countries participating in annual meetings.

Name

Countdown to 2030 for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health

Legal name

Countdown to 2030 for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health

Website

https://countdown2030.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Countdown to 2030 is a multi-institutional global health collaboration that tracks Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) indicators across low- and middle-income countries. It serves government ministries of health, research institutions, and UN agencies through country profiles, data analysis tools, fellowships, and annual convenings, funded primarily by the Gates Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Monitoring and Analytics

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (MNCH) Programs (BPADAIAC), Vaccine Coverage Assessment, Reminder/Recall & Demand Generation (HLAJAHAH)

Keywords

• Global health monitoring
• Maternal child health data
• RMNCAH+N analytics
• Country health profiles
• Health equity measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation supporting improved country-led data analysis and monitoring, innovation through multi-country collaboration, global monitoring and measurement, and communications for policies, programs and accountability.
2. Partnership Funding: Funding and in-kind support from Global Financing Facility (GFF) for country collaborations and analytical capacity strengthening in 26 GFF-supported countries.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Countdown to 2030 is a global health monitoring collaboration that tracks progress on Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N) indicators and produces country profiles, equity analyses, geospatial analyses, and policy-relevant evidence for governments and global health partners. It supports ministries of health and country research institutions in 26 GFF-supported countries through analytical capacity strengthening, an annual convening of researchers, an African researcher fellowship program, and free digital data tools.

Product overview

Countdown to 2030 is a global collaboration that functions as a data platform and research network focused on tracking progress of life-saving interventions for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH+N). The initiative offers an integrated suite of products including Country Profiles (RMNCAH, equity, and Early Childhood Development profiles), a Data Analysis Platform through R-Shiny Application, six specialized Data Analysis Centers (DACs) covering Equity, Health Facilities, Health Financing, Effective Coverage, Geospatial, and Health Policy, Multi-Country Studies on key health themes, a Fellowship Program for African researchers, and Annual Meetings for collaborative analysis. The portfolio is designed to foster advocacy and accountability through data-driven evidence, supporting country-level analysis and capacity strengthening in 26 Global Financing Facility-supported countries across Africa and Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Country Profiles Interactive health profiles providing statistics on women, children, and adolescents for countries, including RMNCAH+N indicators, equity metrics, and early childhood development data, used by ministries of health and global health partners.
• R-Shiny Application Digital visualization tool developed with APHRC for routine health data analysis, making data analysis more accessible and user-friendly for countries.
• Data Analysis Centers (DAC) Six specialized centers supporting GFF countries with tools and methods for data analysis: Equity, Health Facilities, Health Financing, Effective Coverage, Geospatial, and Health Policy and Systems.
• Multi-Country Studies Collaborative research initiatives covering Maternal Newborn Health, Urban Health, COVID-19, Family Planning, and Immunization themes across multiple countries.
• Countdown Fellowship Program One-year fellowship enabling African researchers to strengthen analytical capacities for monitoring reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health.
• Country Collaborations Partnerships with country public health institutions and ministries of health in 26 countries across Africa and Asia to enhance evidence and analytical capacity for RMNCAH+N monitoring.
• Annual Country Meetings Annual analytical workshops bringing together researchers, analysts, and policy experts to produce and disseminate RMNCAH+N health data for countries.
• Equity Profiles Country profiles focusing on inequalities in health intervention coverage by wealth, geography, education, and gender for use in equity-focused monitoring and advocacy.
• Early Childhood Development Country Profiles Country profiles tracking 40 Early Childhood Development indicators across 197 countries, providing global ECD monitoring and benchmarking.
• Countdown Chartbooks Short reports containing graphs with key results and interpretations on reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health indicators for policy and advocacy audiences.
• Publications Database Repository of Countdown publications, policy briefs, journal supplements, and annual reports available for search and download.
• DHIS2 Data Extractor Tool for extracting and performing initial quality assessment of District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) data, used in country collaborations and annual meetings to guide participants through routine health facility data analysis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported analysis and capacity strengthening in 26 GFF countries (2022-2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered key and core.

• Gavi, the Vaccine AlliancekeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership launched in 2023-2024 to strengthen analytical capacity for measuring coverage and equity of immunization in 26 African countries, using multiple data sources and developing subnational coverage strategies.
• Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH)keyGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023PMNCH co-hosts webinars with Countdown to showcase country profiles and chartbooks for advocacy and accountability. Countdown participates in PMNCH accountability events and working groups.
• Global Financing Facility (GFF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020GFF partnership (2020-2022 Phase II expanded to 2023-2026 Phase III) supports country collaborations in 26 GFF countries. Joint workshops on health facility data analysis, GFF progress tracking, and investment case development. Countdown provides analytical support for GFF country-level work.
• Exemplars in Global HealthkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership through which Countdown completed research studies in 8 countries to understand factors contributing to improved maternal and newborn health outcomes during 2000-2017.
• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016APHRC serves as the lead secretariat institution providing administrative and fiscal management to Countdown projects. APHRC's West Africa office houses the Countdown Director Dr. Cheikh Faye. APHRC co-chairs the Technical Working Group and provides regional coordination for African country collaborations.
• Johns Hopkins University (JHU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016JHU provides administrative and fiscal management to Countdown as part of the secretariat. JHU co-chairs the Technical Working Group and leads the Effective Coverage Data & Analysis Center. JHU researchers contribute to global monitoring and measurement work.
• University of ManitobacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016University of Manitoba provides administrative and fiscal management to Countdown projects and investments as part of the secretariat. Contributes to global public health research and measurement expertise.
• US Fund for UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016US Fund for UNICEF provides administrative and fiscal management to Countdown projects as part of the secretariat, supporting the initiative's work on tracking progress for women's, children's and adolescents' health.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016WHO co-chairs the Steering Committee (with APHRC) and provides technical collaboration on global monitoring and measurement. Countdown contributes to UN Every Woman Every Child progress reports and technical collaboration with WHO.
• WorldPop / University of SouthamptonkeyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016WorldPop leads Countdown's geospatial data and analysis center, providing population estimation methods and spatial demographic expertise. Contributed to the 2024 Urban Health Study across four African cities.
• International Center for Equity in Health (ICEH)keyTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016ICEH contributes expertise on equity measurement and analysis, including studies on private sector role in RMNCH and gender equity in health intervention coverage.
• UNICEFkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Technical collaboration with UNICEF on health facility data analysis, immunization coverage measurement, and contribution to global monitoring of women's, children's and adolescents' health.
• The LancetkeyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003The Lancet has been a key Countdown partner since 2003, frequently publishing Countdown data, analysis, and approaches. The Lancet Child Survival Series helped raise awareness and Countdown was developed in response to calls from these publications.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Exemplars in Global Health: Direct peer via longstanding co-development partnership; both produce multi-country studies on maternal and newborn health drivers in low- and middle-income countries, sharing analytical approaches and country relationships.
• Global Financing Facility (GFF): Core partner that funds and co-implements country collaborations; operates in the same 26 GFF-supported countries on overlapping RMNCAH+N investment cases and country-level analytics.
• Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH): Co-hosts accountability events and webinars with Countdown; both serve overlapping global health accountability functions for women's, children's, and adolescents' health with shared ministry and UN stakeholders.
• African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC): Lead secretariat institution for Countdown; APHRC co-chairs the Steering Committee and provides regional coordination across Africa on overlapping reproductive, maternal, and adolescent health research themes.

Emerging players

• FP2030 (Family Planning 2030): Global partnership tracking family planning indicators across countries; complementary focus on reproductive and SRHR data, sharing dashboards and country-level accountability tools with Countdown.

Broad incumbents

• UNFPA: UN agency partner contributing to UN Every Woman Every Child progress reports; overlapping mandate on reproductive, maternal, and adolescent health metrics and country engagement.
• WHO Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MCA) Department: Steering Committee co-chair and global normative body for MNCAH; both publish guidance, indicators, and global reports on RMNCAH+N progress used by ministries of health.
• Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME): Larger academic research organization producing the Global Burden of Disease and related country health estimates; both publish comparable country-level indicators used for global health accountability.
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Active partner of Countdown on immunization coverage measurement in 26 African countries; both operate globally on immunization equity and use similar subnational data approaches.
• UNICEF Data and Analytics: Core partner and contributor to Countdown's data work; both maintain global country-level indicator databases on child health, nutrition, and immunization and publish joint global reports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/countdown-to-2030-for-women-s-children-s-and-adolescents-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Countdown to 2030 for Women's Children's and Adolescents' Health