South Africa vs Zambia: Number of child deaths by age
South Africa
12,865 deaths
in 2024
Zambia
9,147 deaths
in 2024
South Africa rank
23rd
Zambia rank
25th
Number of child deaths by age over time
- South Africa
- Zambia
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 12,865 deaths against 9,147 deaths in Zambia, a difference of 3,718 deaths.
That makes South Africa's figure about 1.4 times Zambia's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 44 shared years of data; in 1981 it was Zambia ahead.
South Africa ranks 23rd and Zambia ranks 25th of 199 countries.
Across the 5 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 3 and Zambia in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Zambia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6,736 deaths | 22,064 deaths | 15,329 deaths | Zambia |
| 1990s | 14,874 deaths | 27,683 deaths | 12,809 deaths | Zambia |
| 2000s | 29,309 deaths | 20,502 deaths | 8,808 deaths | South Africa |
| 2010s | 11,571 deaths | 11,542 deaths | 28.4 deaths | South Africa |
| 2020s | 11,808 deaths | 9,466 deaths | 2,342 deaths | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of child deaths by age, South Africa or Zambia?
- South Africa, at 12,865 deaths against 9,147 deaths in Zambia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in number of child deaths by age between South Africa and Zambia?
- 3,718 deaths, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zambia?
- 44 years are reported by both, from 1981 to 2024.
- How do South Africa and Zambia rank globally for number of child deaths by age?
- South Africa ranks 23rd and Zambia ranks 25th of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) β 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.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged between 1 and 4 .