Child mortality rate in Malaysia
Malaysia: Child mortality rate was 0.83 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.83 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
137th
of 200 countries
All-time high
17.14 deaths per 100 live births
in 1950
All-time low
0.8 deaths per 100 live births
in 2012
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Child mortality rate in Malaysia, 1950–2024
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
Malaysia recorded 0.83 deaths per 100 live births for child mortality rate in 2024.
The figure is up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Malaysia peaked at 17.14 deaths per 100 live births in 1950 and was at its lowest, 0.8 deaths per 100 live births, in 2012.
Malaysia ranks 137th of 200 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Child mortality rate in Malaysia, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 17.14 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1951 | 16.19 deaths per 100 live births | -5.5% |
| 1952 | 15.29 deaths per 100 live births | -5.6% |
| 1953 | 14.44 deaths per 100 live births | -5.6% |
| 1954 | 13.65 deaths per 100 live births | -5.5% |
| 1955 | 12.92 deaths per 100 live births | -5.3% |
| 1956 | 12.22 deaths per 100 live births | -5.4% |
| 1957 | 11.54 deaths per 100 live births | -5.6% |
| 1958 | 10.86 deaths per 100 live births | -5.9% |
| 1959 | 10.18 deaths per 100 live births | -6.3% |
| 1960 | 9.51 deaths per 100 live births | -6.6% |
| 1961 | 8.89 deaths per 100 live births | -6.5% |
| 1962 | 8.3 deaths per 100 live births | -6.6% |
| 1963 | 7.78 deaths per 100 live births | -6.3% |
| 1964 | 7.31 deaths per 100 live births | -6.0% |
| 1965 | 6.92 deaths per 100 live births | -5.3% |
| 1966 | 6.58 deaths per 100 live births | -4.9% |
| 1967 | 6.29 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 1968 | 6.03 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 5.8 deaths per 100 live births | -3.8% |
| 1970 | 5.57 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 1971 | 5.33 deaths per 100 live births | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 5.07 deaths per 100 live births | -4.9% |
| 1973 | 4.8 deaths per 100 live births | -5.3% |
| 1974 | 4.52 deaths per 100 live births | -5.8% |
| 1975 | 4.24 deaths per 100 live births | -6.2% |
| 1976 | 3.98 deaths per 100 live births | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 3.72 deaths per 100 live births | -6.5% |
| 1978 | 3.48 deaths per 100 live births | -6.5% |
| 1979 | 3.25 deaths per 100 live births | -6.6% |
| 1980 | 3.04 deaths per 100 live births | -6.5% |
| 1981 | 2.84 deaths per 100 live births | -6.6% |
| 1982 | 2.65 deaths per 100 live births | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 2.48 deaths per 100 live births | -6.4% |
| 1984 | 2.32 deaths per 100 live births | -6.5% |
| 1985 | 2.18 deaths per 100 live births | -6.0% |
| 1986 | 2.05 deaths per 100 live births | -6.0% |
| 1987 | 1.94 deaths per 100 live births | -5.4% |
| 1988 | 1.84 deaths per 100 live births | -5.2% |
| 1989 | 1.74 deaths per 100 live births | -5.4% |
| 1990 | 1.66 deaths per 100 live births | -4.6% |
| 1991 | 1.58 deaths per 100 live births | -4.8% |
| 1992 | 1.51 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 1993 | 1.44 deaths per 100 live births | -4.6% |
| 1994 | 1.39 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 1.33 deaths per 100 live births | -4.3% |
| 1996 | 1.28 deaths per 100 live births | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 1.23 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 1.16 deaths per 100 live births | -5.7% |
| 1999 | 1.07 deaths per 100 live births | -7.8% |
| 2000 | 0.99 deaths per 100 live births | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 0.93 deaths per 100 live births | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 0.88 deaths per 100 live births | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 0.86 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 0.84 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 2009 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.81 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.81 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.8 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.8 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.81 deaths per 100 live births | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
Malaysia compared with similar countries
- Malaysia's 0.83 deaths per 100 live births is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.3 deaths per 100 live births, 64% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Malaysia's 0.83 deaths per 100 live births is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.72 deaths per 100 live births, 48% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 13.44 deaths per 100 live births | 10.18 deaths per 100 live births | 17.14 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.34 deaths per 100 live births | 5.8 deaths per 100 live births | 9.51 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.4 deaths per 100 live births | 3.25 deaths per 100 live births | 5.57 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.31 deaths per 100 live births | 1.74 deaths per 100 live births | 3.04 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.36 deaths per 100 live births | 1.07 deaths per 100 live births | 1.66 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.863 deaths per 100 live births | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | 0.99 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.813 deaths per 100 live births | 0.8 deaths per 100 live births | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.824 deaths per 100 live births | 0.82 deaths per 100 live births | 0.83 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malaysia
- 134 Bahrain 0.88 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 135 Cuba 0.86 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 135 Georgia 0.86 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 137 Nauru 0.83 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 139 Kuwait 0.81 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 140 Ukraine 0.79 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Malaysia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.9119 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.2888 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,250 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 652 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 18 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7207 % 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 0.0297 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5991 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality rate in Malaysia?
- Child mortality rate in Malaysia was 0.83 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 Malaysia?
- The highest recorded value was 17.14 deaths per 100 live births in 1950.
- What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Malaysia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8 deaths per 100 live births in 2012.
- How does Malaysia rank for child mortality rate?
- Malaysia ranks 137th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Malaysia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malaysia 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
Long-run estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.