Ghana vs South Africa: Child mortality

Ghana
3.59 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
South Africa
3.51 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Ghana rank
51st
South Africa rank
53rd

Child mortality over time

  • Ghana
  • South Africa
01020304050180019122024

How they compare

Ghana currently reports 3.59 deaths per 100 live births against 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa, a difference of 0.08 deaths per 100 live births.

Across all 225 years both countries report, Ghana has been ahead every year.

Ghana ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd of 203 countries.

Ghana has averaged higher in every one of the 23 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ghana South Africa Difference Ahead
1800s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1810s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1820s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1830s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1840s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1850s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1860s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1870s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1880s 47.14 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1890s 47.12 deaths per 100 live births 39.83 deaths per 100 live births 7.29 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1900s 46.76 deaths per 100 live births 39.53 deaths per 100 live births 7.24 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1910s 45.81 deaths per 100 live births 38.72 deaths per 100 live births 7.09 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1920s 44.03 deaths per 100 live births 37.79 deaths per 100 live births 6.24 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1930s 35.48 deaths per 100 live births 34.09 deaths per 100 live births 1.39 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1940s 28.57 deaths per 100 live births 27.65 deaths per 100 live births 0.9107 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1950s 22.98 deaths per 100 live births 21.86 deaths per 100 live births 1.12 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1960s 20.44 deaths per 100 live births 17.46 deaths per 100 live births 2.97 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1970s 18.82 deaths per 100 live births 12.59 deaths per 100 live births 6.22 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1980s 15.43 deaths per 100 live births 7.51 deaths per 100 live births 7.92 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1990s 11.54 deaths per 100 live births 6.03 deaths per 100 live births 5.51 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2000s 8.41 deaths per 100 live births 7.31 deaths per 100 live births 1.1 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2010s 5.44 deaths per 100 live births 4 deaths per 100 live births 1.44 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2020s 3.88 deaths per 100 live births 3.44 deaths per 100 live births 0.4434 deaths per 100 live births Ghana

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher child mortality, Ghana or South Africa?
Ghana, at 3.59 deaths per 100 live births against 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in child mortality between Ghana and South Africa?
0.08 deaths per 100 live births, with Ghana ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and South Africa?
225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
How do Ghana and South Africa rank globally for child mortality?
Ghana ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd of 203 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Child mortality. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ghana vs South Africa: Child mortality. Statizoid, drawing on Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/child-mortality-complete-gapminder/ghana/south-africa/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/child-mortality-complete-gapminder/ghana/south-africa/">Ghana vs South Africa: Child mortality</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Child mortality
Unit
deaths per 100 live births
Source
Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
203 places, 42,924 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.