Botswana vs South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5

Botswana
33.3 per 1,000 live births
in 2024
South Africa
35.1 per 1,000 live births
in 2024
Botswana rank
55th
South Africa rank
53rd

Mortality rate, under-5 over time

  • Botswana
  • South Africa
50100150196019922024

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 35.1 per 1,000 live births against 33.3 per 1,000 live births in Botswana, a difference of 1.8 per 1,000 live births.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.1 times Botswana's.

The two have swapped places 4 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1974 it was South Africa ahead.

Botswana ranks 55th and South Africa ranks 53rd of 197 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Botswana averaged higher in 3 and South Africa in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Botswana South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 91.88 per 1,000 live births 114.93 per 1,000 live births 23.05 per 1,000 live births South Africa
1980s 59.26 per 1,000 live births 75.1 per 1,000 live births 15.84 per 1,000 live births South Africa
1990s 65.4 per 1,000 live births 60.3 per 1,000 live births 5.1 per 1,000 live births Botswana
2000s 71.48 per 1,000 live births 73.13 per 1,000 live births 1.65 per 1,000 live births South Africa
2010s 48.55 per 1,000 live births 40 per 1,000 live births 8.55 per 1,000 live births Botswana
2020s 35.92 per 1,000 live births 34.42 per 1,000 live births 1.5 per 1,000 live births Botswana

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mortality rate, under-5, Botswana or South Africa?
South Africa, at 35.1 per 1,000 live births against 33.3 per 1,000 live births in Botswana as of 2024.
What is the difference in mortality rate, under-5 between Botswana and South Africa?
1.8 per 1,000 live births, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Botswana and South Africa?
51 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.
How do Botswana and South Africa rank globally for mortality rate, under-5?
Botswana ranks 55th and South Africa ranks 53rd of 197 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Botswana vs South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5. Statizoid, drawing on UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/mortality-rate-under-5-per-1-000-live-births/botswana/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births)
Unit
per 1,000 live births
Source
UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
244 places, 13,546 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.