Child mortality rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Child mortality rate was 9.05 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
9.05 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
7th
of 200 countries
All-time high
41.38 deaths per 100 live births
in 1956
All-time low
9.05 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
69
1956–2024
Child mortality rate in Sierra Leone, 1956–2024
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
Sierra Leone recorded 9.05 deaths per 100 live births for child mortality rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 33.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, child mortality rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 41.38 deaths per 100 live births in 1956 and was at its lowest, 9.05 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 7th out of 200 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Child mortality rate in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 41.38 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1957 | 40.77 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1958 | 40.14 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1959 | 39.58 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1960 | 39 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1961 | 38.44 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1962 | 37.87 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1963 | 37.29 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1964 | 36.72 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1965 | 36.11 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 35.51 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1967 | 34.9 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 34.32 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 33.75 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 33.21 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 1971 | 32.66 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1972 | 32.15 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 31.65 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 31.19 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 30.72 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1976 | 30.27 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 29.82 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 29.4 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 29 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 28.61 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 28.26 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 27.92 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 27.61 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 27.31 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 27.03 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 26.75 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 26.48 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 26.22 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 26.01 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 25.8 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 25.6 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 25.38 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 25.17 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 24.91 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1995 | 24.59 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 24.22 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 23.79 deaths per 100 live births | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 23.31 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 22.82 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 22.28 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 21.73 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 21.16 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 20.57 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 2004 | 19.96 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 2005 | 19.32 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 18.65 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 17.96 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 2008 | 17.24 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 16.52 deaths per 100 live births | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 15.79 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 15.08 deaths per 100 live births | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 14.41 deaths per 100 live births | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 13.79 deaths per 100 live births | -4.3% |
| 2014 | 13.59 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 13.68 deaths per 100 live births | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 12.18 deaths per 100 live births | -11.0% |
| 2017 | 11.7 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2018 | 11.24 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 10.83 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 10.44 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 10.06 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 9.71 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 9.38 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 9.05 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 9.05 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.16 deaths per 100 live births, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 9.05 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.89 deaths per 100 live births, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.47 deaths per 100 live births | 39.58 deaths per 100 live births | 41.38 deaths per 100 live births | 4 |
| 1960s | 36.39 deaths per 100 live births | 33.75 deaths per 100 live births | 39 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 31.01 deaths per 100 live births | 29 deaths per 100 live births | 33.21 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.22 deaths per 100 live births | 26.01 deaths per 100 live births | 28.61 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.56 deaths per 100 live births | 22.82 deaths per 100 live births | 25.8 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.54 deaths per 100 live births | 16.52 deaths per 100 live births | 22.28 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.23 deaths per 100 live births | 10.83 deaths per 100 live births | 15.79 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.73 deaths per 100 live births | 9.05 deaths per 100 live births | 10.44 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 4 Chad 9.73 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 5 South Sudan 9.67 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 6 Guinea 9.21 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 8 Central African Republic 8.97 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 8 Democratic Republic of Congo 8.97 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 10 Liberia 8.64 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is child mortality rate in Sierra Leone?
- Child mortality rate in Sierra Leone was 9.05 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 41.38 deaths per 100 live births in 1956.
- What is the lowest child mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.05 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for child mortality rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 7th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is child mortality rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 33.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 69 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Long-run estimated share of newborns who die before reaching the age of five.