India vs South Africa: Infant mortality rate by sex

India
2.3 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
South Africa
2.22 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
India rank
55th
South Africa rank
58th

Infant mortality rate by sex over time

  • India
  • South Africa
051015195319882024

How they compare

India currently reports 2.3 deaths per 100 live births against 2.22 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa, a difference of 0.08 deaths per 100 live births.

Across all 49 years both countries report, India has been ahead every year.

India ranks 55th and South Africa ranks 58th of 199 countries.

India has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade India South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 11.26 deaths per 100 live births 9.21 deaths per 100 live births 2.05 deaths per 100 live births India
1980s 9.36 deaths per 100 live births 6.27 deaths per 100 live births 3.09 deaths per 100 live births India
1990s 7.53 deaths per 100 live births 4.33 deaths per 100 live births 3.21 deaths per 100 live births India
2000s 5.82 deaths per 100 live births 4.25 deaths per 100 live births 1.57 deaths per 100 live births India
2010s 3.8 deaths per 100 live births 2.8 deaths per 100 live births 1 deaths per 100 live births India
2020s 2.56 deaths per 100 live births 2.24 deaths per 100 live births 0.3192 deaths per 100 live births India

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher infant mortality rate by sex, India or South Africa?
India, at 2.3 deaths per 100 live births against 2.22 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in infant mortality rate by sex between India and South Africa?
0.08 deaths per 100 live births, with India ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for India and South Africa?
49 years are reported by both, from 1976 to 2024.
How do India and South Africa rank globally for infant mortality rate by sex?
India ranks 55th 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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India 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 31 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/infant-mortality-rate-wdi/india/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 .