South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Number of infant deaths

South Africa
28,570 deaths
in 2024
Zimbabwe
30,713 deaths
in 2024
South Africa rank
31st
Zimbabwe rank
28th

Number of infant deaths over time

  • South Africa
  • Zimbabwe
20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k100.0k195519892024

How they compare

Zimbabwe currently reports 30,713 deaths against 28,570 deaths in South Africa, a difference of 2,143 deaths.

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

The two have swapped places 1 time across 48 shared years of data; in 1977 it was South Africa ahead.

South Africa ranks 31st and Zimbabwe ranks 28th of 199 countries.

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

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Zimbabwe Difference Ahead
1970s 92,671 deaths 22,378 deaths 70,293 deaths South Africa
1980s 77,194 deaths 22,910 deaths 54,284 deaths South Africa
1990s 53,006 deaths 20,972 deaths 32,033 deaths South Africa
2000s 49,340 deaths 28,234 deaths 21,106 deaths South Africa
2010s 35,356 deaths 28,279 deaths 7,077 deaths South Africa
2020s 28,733 deaths 29,495 deaths 761.4 deaths Zimbabwe

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of infant deaths, South Africa or Zimbabwe?
Zimbabwe, at 30,713 deaths against 28,570 deaths in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in number of infant deaths between South Africa and Zimbabwe?
2,143 deaths, with Zimbabwe ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Zimbabwe?
48 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2024.
How do South Africa and Zimbabwe rank globally for number of infant deaths?
South Africa ranks 31st and Zimbabwe ranks 28th 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 Number of infant deaths. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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South Africa vs Zimbabwe: Number of infant deaths. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 09 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-infant-deaths-2/south-africa/zimbabwe/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of infant deaths
Unit
deaths
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, 12,788 data points, 1951–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths of children aged under 1 .