The estimates of the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation show a 50 per cent decline in infant mortality from 2000 to 2010, but the country’s rates still remain rather high - among the top 10 in the European region. Congenital anomalies and pneumonia, which could be partly attributed to environmental chemical hotspots and indoor air pollution from hazardous heating and cooking sources, particularly in poor areas, are among the main causes of mortality, accounting for 22 and 18 per cent respectively of all deaths. According to the estimates, in 2008, Albania was among the 10 countries with the highest maternal mortality in the European region, with poor sanitary conditions, among other contributing factors. Thus, considerable effort is needed if MDG 5, which aims to reduce the maternal mortality rate by three quarters between 1990 and 2015, is to be attained.