Botswana vs South Africa: Infant mortality rates

Botswana
2.84
in 2023
South Africa
2.78
in 2023
Botswana rank
50th
South Africa rank
51st

Infant mortality rates over time

  • Botswana
  • South Africa
2.557.51012.515195019862023

How they compare

Botswana currently reports 2.84 against 2.78 in South Africa, a difference of 0.06.

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 51st of 229 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Botswana South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 11.61 12 0.3956 South Africa
1960s 9.34 9.32 0.0203 Botswana
1970s 6.84 7.9 1.07 South Africa
1980s 4.28 5.72 1.44 South Africa
1990s 4.66 4.76 0.1065 South Africa
2000s 4.97 4.85 0.1267 Botswana
2010s 3.69 2.82 0.8697 Botswana
2020s 2.96 2.68 0.2786 Botswana

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher infant mortality rates, Botswana or South Africa?
Botswana, at 2.84 against 2.78 in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in infant mortality rates between Botswana and South Africa?
0.06, 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 infant mortality rates?
Botswana ranks 50th and South Africa ranks 51st of 229 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Infant mortality rates. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Botswana vs South Africa: Infant mortality rates. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/infant-mortality-rates/botswana/south-africa/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/infant-mortality-rates/botswana/south-africa/">Botswana vs South Africa: Infant mortality rates</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Infant mortality rates
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed