Child mortality in Japan
Japan: Child mortality was 0.24 in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.24
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
192nd
of 200 countries
All-time high
28.6
in 1921
All-time low
0.24
in 2020
Years of data
102
1920–2024
Child mortality in Japan, 1920–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, child mortality in Japan stood at 0.24. That is the lowest value across all 102 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality in Japan peaked at 28.6 in 1921 and was at its lowest, 0.24, in 2020.
That places Japan 192nd out of 200 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Child mortality in Japan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 27 | — |
| 1921 | 28.6 | +5.9% |
| 1922 | 27 | -5.6% |
| 1923 | 26.52 | -1.8% |
| 1924 | 25.32 | -4.5% |
| 1925 | 22.78 | -10.0% |
| 1926 | 21.85 | -4.1% |
| 1927 | 22.78 | +4.3% |
| 1928 | 22.03 | -3.3% |
| 1929 | 22.78 | +3.4% |
| 1930 | 19.6 | -14.0% |
| 1931 | 20.91 | +6.7% |
| 1932 | 18.28 | -12.6% |
| 1933 | 19.03 | +4.1% |
| 1934 | 19.6 | +3.0% |
| 1935 | 16.22 | -17.2% |
| 1936 | 18.09 | +11.5% |
| 1937 | 16.04 | -11.3% |
| 1938 | 17.72 | +10.5% |
| 1939 | 16.22 | -8.5% |
| 1940 | 13.12 | -19.1% |
| 1941 | 12.06 | -8.1% |
| 1942 | 12.41 | +2.9% |
| 1943 | 12.59 | +1.5% |
| 1947 | 14.76 | +17.2% |
| 1948 | 9.92 | -32.8% |
| 1949 | 10.14 | +2.2% |
| 1950 | 9.15 | -9.8% |
| 1951 | 8.27 | -9.6% |
| 1952 | 7.49 | -9.4% |
| 1953 | 6.83 | -8.8% |
| 1954 | 6.27 | -8.2% |
| 1955 | 5.8 | -7.5% |
| 1956 | 5.4 | -6.9% |
| 1957 | 5.03 | -6.9% |
| 1958 | 4.68 | -7.0% |
| 1959 | 4.33 | -7.5% |
| 1960 | 3.98 | -8.1% |
| 1961 | 3.63 | -8.8% |
| 1962 | 3.29 | -9.4% |
| 1963 | 2.97 | -9.7% |
| 1964 | 2.7 | -9.1% |
| 1965 | 2.46 | -8.9% |
| 1966 | 2.26 | -8.1% |
| 1967 | 2.1 | -7.1% |
| 1968 | 1.96 | -6.7% |
| 1969 | 1.85 | -5.6% |
| 1970 | 1.75 | -5.4% |
| 1971 | 1.65 | -5.7% |
| 1972 | 1.57 | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 1.49 | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 1.41 | -5.4% |
| 1975 | 1.33 | -5.7% |
| 1976 | 1.25 | -6.0% |
| 1977 | 1.18 | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 1.11 | -5.9% |
| 1979 | 1.05 | -5.4% |
| 1980 | 0.99 | -5.7% |
| 1981 | 0.93 | -6.1% |
| 1982 | 0.88 | -5.4% |
| 1983 | 0.83 | -5.7% |
| 1984 | 0.79 | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 0.75 | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 0.71 | -5.3% |
| 1987 | 0.68 | -4.2% |
| 1988 | 0.66 | -2.9% |
| 1989 | 0.64 | -3.0% |
| 1990 | 0.63 | -1.6% |
| 1991 | 0.62 | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 0.61 | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 0.6 | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 0.59 | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 0.57 | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 0.55 | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 0.52 | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 0.5 | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 0.47 | -6.0% |
| 2000 | 0.45 | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 0.43 | -4.4% |
| 2002 | 0.41 | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 0.4 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 0.39 | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 0.37 | -5.1% |
| 2006 | 0.36 | -2.7% |
| 2007 | 0.35 | -2.8% |
| 2008 | 0.34 | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 0.34 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.33 | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 0.33 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.31 | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 0.3 | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 0.29 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 0.28 | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 0.27 | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 0.26 | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 0.25 | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 0.25 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.24 | -4.0% |
| 2021 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 0.24 is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.47, 51% of the median. (65 countries reporting)
- Japan's 0.24 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.72, 14% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Child mortality in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | -32.8% | 14.76 | 9.92 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 24.67 | 21.85 | 28.6 | 10 |
| 1930s | 18.17 | 16.04 | 20.91 | 10 |
| 1940s | 12.14 | 9.92 | 14.76 | 7 |
| 1950s | 6.33 | 4.33 | 9.15 | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.72 | 1.85 | 3.98 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.38 | 1.05 | 1.75 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.786 | 0.64 | 0.99 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.566 | 0.47 | 0.63 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.384 | 0.34 | 0.45 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.287 | 0.25 | 0.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.24 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More health data for Japan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 178 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -2.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0155 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0163 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality in Japan?
- Child mortality in Japan was 0.24 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest child mortality recorded in Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 28.6 in 1921.
- What is the lowest child mortality recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.24 in 2020.
- How does Japan rank for child mortality?
- Japan ranks 192nd out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is child mortality rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Japan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 102 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).