Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Number of child deaths by age

Sierra Leone
9,133 deaths
in 2024
South Africa
12,865 deaths
in 2024
Sierra Leone rank
26th
South Africa rank
23rd

Number of child deaths by age over time

  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa
10.0k20.0k30.0k196119922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 12,865 deaths against 9,133 deaths in Sierra Leone, a difference of 3,732 deaths.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times Sierra Leone's.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Sierra Leone ahead.

Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 199 countries.

Across the 5 decades both report, Sierra Leone averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Sierra Leone South Africa Difference Ahead
1980s 21,159 deaths 6,736 deaths 14,423 deaths Sierra Leone
1990s 21,564 deaths 14,874 deaths 6,690 deaths Sierra Leone
2000s 17,924 deaths 29,309 deaths 11,385 deaths South Africa
2010s 13,370 deaths 11,571 deaths 1,799 deaths Sierra Leone
2020s 9,812 deaths 11,808 deaths 1,996 deaths South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of child deaths by age, Sierra Leone or South Africa?
South Africa, at 12,865 deaths against 9,133 deaths in Sierra Leone as of 2024.
What is the difference in number of child deaths by age between Sierra Leone and South Africa?
3,732 deaths, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Sierra Leone and South Africa?
44 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2024.
How do Sierra Leone and South Africa rank globally for number of child deaths by age?
Sierra Leone ranks 26th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 199 countries.
Where does this data come from?
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of child deaths by age. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Sierra Leone vs South Africa: Number of child deaths by age. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 07 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/child-deaths-life-stage/sierra-leone/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of child deaths by age
Unit
deaths
Source
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 11,992 data points, 1955–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths of children aged between 1 and 4 .