Kenya vs Rwanda: Child mortality

Kenya
3.88 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Rwanda
3.77 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Kenya rank
43rd
Rwanda rank
46th

Child mortality over time

  • Kenya
  • Rwanda
01020304050180019122024

How they compare

Kenya currently reports 3.88 deaths per 100 live births against 3.77 deaths per 100 live births in Rwanda, a difference of 0.11 deaths per 100 live births.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 225 shared years of data; in 1800 it was Kenya ahead.

Kenya ranks 43rd and Rwanda ranks 46th of 203 countries.

Across the 23 decades both report, Kenya averaged higher in 17 and Rwanda in 6.

Head to head by decade

Decade Kenya Rwanda Difference Ahead
1800s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1810s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1820s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1830s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1840s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1850s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1860s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1870s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1880s 50.79 deaths per 100 live births 42 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1890s 50.77 deaths per 100 live births 41.99 deaths per 100 live births 8.78 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1900s 50.39 deaths per 100 live births 41.67 deaths per 100 live births 8.71 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1910s 49.36 deaths per 100 live births 40.82 deaths per 100 live births 8.54 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1920s 49.19 deaths per 100 live births 39.84 deaths per 100 live births 9.35 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1930s 46.28 deaths per 100 live births 36.43 deaths per 100 live births 9.85 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1940s 37.38 deaths per 100 live births 30.19 deaths per 100 live births 7.19 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1950s 26.14 deaths per 100 live births 24.72 deaths per 100 live births 1.42 deaths per 100 live births Kenya
1960s 17.15 deaths per 100 live births 21.12 deaths per 100 live births 3.97 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
1970s 13.26 deaths per 100 live births 23.72 deaths per 100 live births 10.46 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
1980s 9.97 deaths per 100 live births 17.12 deaths per 100 live births 7.15 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
1990s 10.57 deaths per 100 live births 21.45 deaths per 100 live births 10.88 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
2000s 7.42 deaths per 100 live births 11.77 deaths per 100 live births 4.35 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
2010s 4.77 deaths per 100 live births 5 deaths per 100 live births 0.2375 deaths per 100 live births Rwanda
2020s 4.05 deaths per 100 live births 3.97 deaths per 100 live births 0.081 deaths per 100 live births Kenya

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher child mortality, Kenya or Rwanda?
Kenya, at 3.88 deaths per 100 live births against 3.77 deaths per 100 live births in Rwanda as of 2024.
What is the difference in child mortality between Kenya and Rwanda?
0.11 deaths per 100 live births, with Kenya ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Kenya and Rwanda?
225 years are reported by both, from 1800 to 2024.
How do Kenya and Rwanda rank globally for child mortality?
Kenya ranks 43rd and Rwanda ranks 46th 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.

Individual pages

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

The estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.