What is the difference in mortality rate, under-5 between Eritrea and South Africa?

0.8 per 1,000 live births, with South Africa ahead.

How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and South Africa?

51 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.

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.

Eritrea vs South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births)

Eritrea

34.3 per 1,000 live births

in 2024

South Africa

35.1 per 1,000 live births

in 2024

Eritrea rank

54th

South Africa rank

53rd

Mortality rate, under-5 (per 1,000 live births) over time

Eritrea
South Africa

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 35.1 per 1,000 live births against 34.3 per 1,000 live births in Eritrea, a difference of 0.8 per 1,000 live births.

The two have swapped places 3 times across 51 shared years of data; in 1974 it was Eritrea ahead.

Eritrea ranks 54th and South Africa ranks 53rd of 197 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Eritrea averaged higher in 5 and South Africa in 1.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Eritrea	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1970s	215.32 per 1,000 live births	114.93 per 1,000 live births	100.38 per 1,000 live births	Eritrea
1980s	208.69 per 1,000 live births	75.1 per 1,000 live births	133.59 per 1,000 live births	Eritrea
1990s	121.9 per 1,000 live births	60.3 per 1,000 live births	61.6 per 1,000 live births	Eritrea
2000s	69.91 per 1,000 live births	73.13 per 1,000 live births	3.22 per 1,000 live births	South Africa
2010s	47.45 per 1,000 live births	40 per 1,000 live births	7.45 per 1,000 live births	Eritrea
2020s	36.64 per 1,000 live births	34.42 per 1,000 live births	2.22 per 1,000 live births	Eritrea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher mortality rate, under-5, Eritrea or South Africa?: South Africa, at 35.1 per 1,000 live births against 34.3 per 1,000 live births in Eritrea as of 2024.
What is the difference in mortality rate, under-5 between Eritrea and South Africa?: 0.8 per 1,000 live births, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Eritrea and South Africa?: 51 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.
How do Eritrea and South Africa rank globally for mortality rate, under-5?: Eritrea ranks 54th 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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Eritrea vs South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5. Statizoid, drawing on UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/mortality-rate-under-5-per-1-000-live-births/eritrea/south-africa/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/mortality-rate-under-5-per-1-000-live-births/eritrea/south-africa/">Eritrea vs South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5</a> — Statizoid

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: 29 October 2026

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.