What is child mortality in Kenya?

Child mortality in Kenya was 3.88 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest child mortality recorded in Kenya?

The highest recorded value was 50.79 deaths per 100 live births in 1800.

What is the lowest child mortality recorded in Kenya?

The lowest recorded value was 3.88 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.

How does Kenya rank for child mortality?

Kenya ranks 43rd out of 203 countries with data for 2024.

Is child mortality rising or falling in Kenya?

Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Kenya data come from?

The figures come from Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Child mortality in Kenya

Name: Child mortality in Kenya
Creator: Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Kenya: Child mortality was 3.88 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)

3.88 deaths per 100 live births

Change on year

down 2.0%

World rank

43rd

of 203 countries

All-time high

50.79 deaths per 100 live births

in 1800

All-time low

3.88 deaths per 100 live births

in 2024

Years of data

225

1800–2024

Child mortality in Kenya, 1800–2024

Source: Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.

Analysis

Kenya recorded 3.88 deaths per 100 live births for child mortality in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 225 years on record.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, child mortality in Kenya peaked at 50.79 deaths per 100 live births in 1800 and was at its lowest, 3.88 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.

That places Kenya 43rd out of 203 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 225 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1800s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1810s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1820s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1830s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1840s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1850s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1860s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1870s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1880s	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1890s	50.77 deaths per 100 live births	50.71 deaths per 100 live births	50.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
1900s	50.39 deaths per 100 live births	50 deaths per 100 live births	50.68 deaths per 100 live births	10
1910s	49.36 deaths per 100 live births	48.82 deaths per 100 live births	49.89 deaths per 100 live births	10
1920s	49.19 deaths per 100 live births	48.46 deaths per 100 live births	50.19 deaths per 100 live births	10
1930s	46.28 deaths per 100 live births	43.79 deaths per 100 live births	48.65 deaths per 100 live births	10
1940s	37.38 deaths per 100 live births	32.04 deaths per 100 live births	43.22 deaths per 100 live births	10
1950s	26.14 deaths per 100 live births	20.64 deaths per 100 live births	30.99 deaths per 100 live births	10
1960s	17.15 deaths per 100 live births	15.36 deaths per 100 live births	19.72 deaths per 100 live births	10
1970s	13.26 deaths per 100 live births	11.35 deaths per 100 live births	15.02 deaths per 100 live births	10
1980s	9.97 deaths per 100 live births	9.51 deaths per 100 live births	10.97 deaths per 100 live births	10
1990s	10.57 deaths per 100 live births	9.95 deaths per 100 live births	10.97 deaths per 100 live births	10
2000s	7.42 deaths per 100 live births	5.52 deaths per 100 live births	9.52 deaths per 100 live births	10
2010s	4.77 deaths per 100 live births	4.27 deaths per 100 live births	5.31 deaths per 100 live births	10
2020s	4.05 deaths per 100 live births	3.88 deaths per 100 live births	4.21 deaths per 100 live births	5

Countries ranked near Kenya

40 Congo 3.91 deaths per 100 live births compare
41 Turkmenistan 3.9 deaths per 100 live births compare
42 Comoros 3.9 deaths per 100 live births compare
44 Yemen 3.81 deaths per 100 live births compare
45 Palestine 3.79 deaths per 100 live births compare
46 Rwanda 3.77 deaths per 100 live births compare

See the full ranking of 203 places →

More health data for Kenya

Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 3 deaths (2026)
Deaths in armed conflicts by region 3 deaths (2026)
Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 504,714 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 527,528 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 526,588 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 546,326 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 548,338 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 564,731 (2025)

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is child mortality in Kenya?: Child mortality in Kenya was 3.88 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest child mortality recorded in Kenya?: The highest recorded value was 50.79 deaths per 100 live births in 1800.
What is the lowest child mortality recorded in Kenya?: The lowest recorded value was 3.88 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
How does Kenya rank for child mortality?: Kenya ranks 43rd out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
Is child mortality rising or falling in Kenya?: Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya data come from?: The figures come from Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 225 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Child mortality
Unit: deaths per 100 live births
Source: Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 203 places, 42,924 data points, 1800–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.