Somalia vs South Sudan: Neonatal mortality rate
Somalia
3.49 Deaths per 1000 live births
in 2023
South Sudan
4.02 Deaths per 1000 live births
in 2023
Somalia rank
3rd
South Sudan rank
1st
Neonatal mortality rate over time
- Somalia
- South Sudan
How they compare
South Sudan currently reports 4.02 Deaths per 1000 live births against 3.49 Deaths per 1000 live births in Somalia, a difference of 0.53 Deaths per 1000 live births.
That makes South Sudan's figure about 1.2 times Somalia's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 35 shared years of data; in 1989 it was South Sudan ahead.
Somalia ranks 3rd and South Sudan ranks 1st of 199 countries.
South Sudan has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Somalia | South Sudan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 4.61 Deaths per 1000 live births | 6.58 Deaths per 1000 live births | 1.97 Deaths per 1000 live births | South Sudan |
| 1990s | 4.57 Deaths per 1000 live births | 6.24 Deaths per 1000 live births | 1.68 Deaths per 1000 live births | South Sudan |
| 2000s | 4.54 Deaths per 1000 live births | 5.06 Deaths per 1000 live births | 0.5235 Deaths per 1000 live births | South Sudan |
| 2010s | 4.11 Deaths per 1000 live births | 4.2 Deaths per 1000 live births | 0.0847 Deaths per 1000 live births | South Sudan |
| 2020s | 3.6 Deaths per 1000 live births | 4.03 Deaths per 1000 live births | 0.4308 Deaths per 1000 live births | South Sudan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher neonatal mortality rate, Somalia or South Sudan?
- South Sudan, at 4.02 Deaths per 1000 live births against 3.49 Deaths per 1000 live births in Somalia as of 2023.
- What is the difference in neonatal mortality rate between Somalia and South Sudan?
- 0.53 Deaths per 1000 live births, with South Sudan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Somalia and South Sudan?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2023.
- How do Somalia and South Sudan rank globally for neonatal mortality rate?
- Somalia ranks 3rd and South Sudan ranks 1st of 199 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Neonatal mortality rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The share of newborns who die before reaching 28 days of age.