Ghana vs South Africa: Child mortality rate

Ghana
3.59 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
South Africa
3.51 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Ghana rank
51st
South Africa rank
53rd

Child mortality rate over time

  • Ghana
  • South Africa
010203040193219782024

How they compare

Ghana currently reports 3.59 deaths per 100 live births against 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa, a difference of 0.08 deaths per 100 live births.

Across all 51 years both countries report, Ghana has been ahead every year.

Ghana ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd of 199 countries.

Ghana has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Ghana South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 18.04 deaths per 100 live births 11.49 deaths per 100 live births 6.55 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1980s 15.43 deaths per 100 live births 7.51 deaths per 100 live births 7.92 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
1990s 11.54 deaths per 100 live births 6.03 deaths per 100 live births 5.51 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2000s 8.41 deaths per 100 live births 7.31 deaths per 100 live births 1.1 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2010s 5.44 deaths per 100 live births 4 deaths per 100 live births 1.44 deaths per 100 live births Ghana
2020s 3.88 deaths per 100 live births 3.44 deaths per 100 live births 0.4434 deaths per 100 live births Ghana

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher child mortality rate, Ghana or South Africa?
Ghana, at 3.59 deaths per 100 live births against 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in South Africa as of 2024.
What is the difference in child mortality rate between Ghana and South Africa?
0.08 deaths per 100 live births, with Ghana ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Ghana and South Africa?
51 years are reported by both, from 1974 to 2024.
How do Ghana and South Africa rank globally for child mortality rate?
Ghana ranks 51st and South Africa ranks 53rd 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 Child mortality rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Ghana vs South Africa: Child mortality rate. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/under-5-mortality-rate-sdgs/ghana/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Child mortality rate
Unit
deaths per 100 live births
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, 13,255 data points, 1931–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths of children aged under five years, per 100 live births .