Botswana vs South Africa: Child mortality rate
Botswana
3.8%
in 2023
South Africa
3.7%
in 2023
Botswana rank
50th
South Africa rank
52nd
Child mortality rate over time
- Botswana
- South Africa
How they compare
Botswana currently reports 3.8% against 3.7% in South Africa, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
Botswana ranks 50th and South Africa ranks 52nd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Botswana | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 19.6% | 19.1% | 0.5% | Botswana |
| 1960s | 14.7% | 13.8% | 0.9% | Botswana |
| 1970s | 10.0% | 11.3% | 1.3% | South Africa |
| 1980s | 5.9% | 7.8% | 1.9% | South Africa |
| 1990s | 6.4% | 6.3% | 0.1% | Botswana |
| 2000s | 6.9% | 7.3% | 0.3% | South Africa |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 4.0% | 1.0% | Botswana |
| 2020s | 3.9% | 3.6% | 0.4% | Botswana |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher child mortality rate, Botswana or South Africa?
- Botswana, at 3.8% against 3.7% in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in child mortality rate between Botswana and South Africa?
- 0.1%, with Botswana ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for child mortality rate?
- Botswana ranks 50th and South Africa ranks 52nd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Child mortality rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of children who die before reaching the age of 5.