Number of child deaths by age in Malawi

Malawi: Number of child deaths by age was 6,960 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6,960 deaths
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
32nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
51,946 deaths
in 2001
All-time low
6,960 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
59
1966–2024

Number of child deaths by age in Malawi, 1966–2024

10.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k50.0k196619952024

Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

In 2024, number of child deaths by age in Malawi stood at 6,960 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 59 years on record.

The figure is down 2.6% on the previous year and down 38.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of child deaths by age in Malawi peaked at 51,946 deaths in 2001 and was at its lowest, 6,960 deaths, in 2024.

That places Malawi 32nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 39,912 deaths 39,086 deaths 40,723 deaths 4
1970s 39,253 deaths 36,494 deaths 41,112 deaths 10
1980s 40,276 deaths 36,175 deaths 44,361 deaths 10
1990s 42,841 deaths 37,087 deaths 44,911 deaths 10
2000s 26,738 deaths 18,044 deaths 51,946 deaths 10
2010s 11,508 deaths 7,853 deaths 16,599 deaths 10
2020s 7,181 deaths 6,960 deaths 7,444 deaths 5

Countries ranked near Malawi

  1. 29 Vietnam 7,647 deaths compare
  2. 30 Burundi 7,502 deaths compare
  3. 31 Ghana 7,327 deaths compare
  4. 33 Kenya 6,890 deaths compare
  5. 34 Afghanistan 6,793 deaths compare
  6. 35 Central African Republic 6,425 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Malawi

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of child deaths by age in Malawi?
Number of child deaths by age in Malawi was 6,960 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of child deaths by age recorded in Malawi?
The highest recorded value was 51,946 deaths in 2001.
What is the lowest number of child deaths by age recorded in Malawi?
The lowest recorded value was 6,960 deaths in 2024.
How does Malawi rank for number of child deaths by age?
Malawi ranks 32nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of child deaths by age rising or falling in Malawi?
Over the last ten years it is down 38.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of child deaths by age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Number of child deaths by age
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, 11,992 data points, 1955–2024
Last refreshed

The estimated number of deaths of children aged between 1 and 4 .