Child mortality rate in Australia

Australia: Child mortality rate was 0.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.36 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
176th
of 200 countries
All-time high
22.22 deaths per 100 live births
in 1875
All-time low
0.36 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
155
1870–2024

Child mortality rate in Australia, 1870–2024

05101520187019472024

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

In 2024, child mortality rate in Australia stood at 0.36 deaths per 100 live births. That is the lowest value across all 155 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.7% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Australia peaked at 22.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1875 and was at its lowest, 0.36 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.

Australia ranks 176th of 200 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1870s 18.71 deaths per 100 live births 15.66 deaths per 100 live births 22.22 deaths per 100 live births 10
1880s 19.26 deaths per 100 live births 17.91 deaths per 100 live births 21.47 deaths per 100 live births 10
1890s 17.01 deaths per 100 live births 15.11 deaths per 100 live births 20.16 deaths per 100 live births 10
1900s 13.17 deaths per 100 live births 10.02 deaths per 100 live births 16.97 deaths per 100 live births 10
1910s 9.38 deaths per 100 live births 7.5 deaths per 100 live births 10.52 deaths per 100 live births 10
1920s 7.63 deaths per 100 live births 6.81 deaths per 100 live births 9.52 deaths per 100 live births 10
1930s 5.44 deaths per 100 live births 5.05 deaths per 100 live births 6.38 deaths per 100 live births 10
1940s 4.24 deaths per 100 live births 3.22 deaths per 100 live births 5.25 deaths per 100 live births 10
1950s 2.84 deaths per 100 live births 2.54 deaths per 100 live births 3.16 deaths per 100 live births 10
1960s 2.29 deaths per 100 live births 2.17 deaths per 100 live births 2.49 deaths per 100 live births 10
1970s 1.77 deaths per 100 live births 1.36 deaths per 100 live births 2.15 deaths per 100 live births 10
1980s 1.14 deaths per 100 live births 0.97 deaths per 100 live births 1.3 deaths per 100 live births 10
1990s 0.742 deaths per 100 live births 0.63 deaths per 100 live births 0.92 deaths per 100 live births 10
2000s 0.569 deaths per 100 live births 0.5 deaths per 100 live births 0.62 deaths per 100 live births 10
2010s 0.408 deaths per 100 live births 0.38 deaths per 100 live births 0.48 deaths per 100 live births 10
2020s 0.37 deaths per 100 live births 0.36 deaths per 100 live births 0.38 deaths per 100 live births 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 173 Belgium 0.37 deaths per 100 live births compare
  2. 173 Germany 0.37 deaths per 100 live births compare
  3. 173 Hungary 0.37 deaths per 100 live births compare
  4. 177 Lithuania 0.34 deaths per 100 live births compare
  5. 178 Austria 0.33 deaths per 100 live births compare
  6. 178 Israel 0.33 deaths per 100 live births compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is child mortality rate in Australia?
Child mortality rate in Australia was 0.36 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 rate recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 22.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1875.
What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
How does Australia rank for child mortality rate?
Australia ranks 176th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia 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 rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Child mortality rate
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
200 places, 16,161 data points, 1751–2024
Last refreshed

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