Child mortality rate in Botswana

Botswana: Child mortality rate was 3.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.8%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
50th
of 236 countries
All-time high
21.8%
in 1950
All-time low
3.8%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Child mortality rate in Botswana, 1950–2023

5101520195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children.

Analysis

Botswana recorded 3.8% for child mortality rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 28.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Botswana peaked at 21.8% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 3.8%, in 2023.

Botswana ranks 50th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 19.6% 17.2% 21.8% 10
1960s 14.7% 12.8% 16.7% 10
1970s 10.0% 7.7% 12.3% 10
1980s 5.9% 5.1% 7.3% 10
1990s 6.4% 5.2% 7.6% 10
2000s 6.9% 6.1% 7.6% 10
2010s 5.0% 4.2% 5.8% 10
2020s 3.9% 3.8% 4.1% 4

Countries ranked near Botswana

  1. 47 Uganda 3.9% compare
  2. 48 Laos 3.9% compare
  3. 49 Mauritania 3.8% compare
  4. 51 Gabon 3.7% compare
  5. 52 South Africa 3.7% compare
  6. 53 Namibia 3.7% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Botswana

All data for Botswana →

Frequently asked questions

What is child mortality rate in Botswana?
Child mortality rate in Botswana was 3.8% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest child mortality rate recorded in Botswana?
The highest recorded value was 21.8% in 1950.
What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Botswana?
The lowest recorded value was 3.8% in 2023.
How does Botswana rank for child mortality rate?
Botswana ranks 50th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Botswana?
Over the last ten years it is down 28.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Botswana data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Child mortality rate
Unit
% of children
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The share of children who die before reaching the age of 5.