Eritrea vs South Africa: Infant mortality rate by sex

Eritrea
2.13 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
South Africa
2.22 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Eritrea rank
59th
South Africa rank
58th

Infant mortality rate by sex over time

  • Eritrea
  • South Africa
2.557.51012.5197519992024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 2.22 deaths per 100 live births against 2.13 deaths per 100 live births in Eritrea, a difference of 0.09 deaths per 100 live births.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 49 shared years of data; in 1976 it was South Africa ahead.

Eritrea ranks 59th and South Africa ranks 58th of 199 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Eritrea averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Eritrea South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 8.3 deaths per 100 live births 9.21 deaths per 100 live births 0.9134 deaths per 100 live births South Africa
1980s 9.39 deaths per 100 live births 6.27 deaths per 100 live births 3.13 deaths per 100 live births Eritrea
1990s 5.74 deaths per 100 live births 4.33 deaths per 100 live births 1.41 deaths per 100 live births Eritrea
2000s 3.77 deaths per 100 live births 4.25 deaths per 100 live births 0.4831 deaths per 100 live births South Africa
2010s 2.82 deaths per 100 live births 2.8 deaths per 100 live births 0.0168 deaths per 100 live births Eritrea
2020s 2.25 deaths per 100 live births 2.24 deaths per 100 live births 0.0139 deaths per 100 live births Eritrea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher infant mortality rate by sex, Eritrea or South Africa?
South Africa, at 2.22 deaths per 100 live births against 2.13 deaths per 100 live births in Eritrea as of 2024.
What is the difference in infant mortality rate by sex between Eritrea and South Africa?
0.09 deaths per 100 live births, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and South Africa?
49 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2024.
How do Eritrea and South Africa rank globally for infant mortality rate by sex?
Eritrea ranks 59th and South Africa ranks 58th 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 Infant mortality rate by sex. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Eritrea vs South Africa: Infant mortality rate by sex. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/infant-mortality-rate-wdi/eritrea/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant mortality rate by sex
Unit
deaths per 100 live births
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, 12,987 data points, 1950–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths of female children aged under one year, per 100 live births .