Which has higher number of neonatal deaths by region, Malawi or South Africa?

Malawi, at 15,906 against 14,715 in South Africa as of 2024.

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

48 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2024.

Where does this data come from?

UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, UN Population Division), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of neonatal deaths by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Malawi vs South Africa: Number of neonatal deaths by region

Malawi

15,906

in 2024

South Africa

14,715

in 2024

Malawi rank

32nd

South Africa rank

34th

Number of neonatal deaths by region over time

Malawi
South Africa

How they compare

Malawi currently reports 15,906 against 14,715 in South Africa, a difference of 1,191.

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

The two have swapped places 3 times across 48 shared years of data; in 1977 it was South Africa ahead.

Malawi ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 34th of 195 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade	Malawi	South Africa	Difference	Ahead
1970s	17,871	26,700	8,830	South Africa
1980s	20,418	27,196	6,778	South Africa
1990s	21,782	20,144	1,637	Malawi
2000s	17,228	14,364	2,864	Malawi
2010s	14,988	13,995	993	Malawi
2020s	15,544	14,211	1,333	Malawi

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of neonatal deaths by region, Malawi or South Africa?: Malawi, at 15,906 against 14,715 in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in number of neonatal deaths by region between Malawi and South Africa?: 1,191, with Malawi ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and South Africa?: 48 years are reported by both, from 1977 to 2024.
How do Malawi and South Africa rank globally for number of neonatal deaths by region?: Malawi ranks 32nd and South Africa ranks 34th of 195 countries.
Where does this data come from?: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, UN Population Division), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of neonatal deaths by region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Malawi vs South Africa: Number of neonatal deaths by region. Statizoid, drawing on UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, UN Population Division), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-neonatal-deaths-by-region/malawi/south-africa/

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<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-neonatal-deaths-by-region/malawi/south-africa/">Malawi vs South Africa: Number of neonatal deaths by region</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Number of neonatal deaths by region
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, UN Population Division), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 195 places, 9,865 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

The estimated number of neonates – babies under 28 days old – who die each year.