Infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Infant mortality by sex was 5.95 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone, 1956–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.
Analysis
The most recent figure for infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone is 5.95 deaths per 100 live births, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone peaked at 18.16 deaths per 100 live births in 1956 and was at its lowest, 5.95 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
Sierra Leone ranks 12th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18 deaths per 100 live births | 17.82 deaths per 100 live births | 18.16 deaths per 100 live births | 4 |
| 1960s | 17.13 deaths per 100 live births | 16.46 deaths per 100 live births | 17.72 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.73 deaths per 100 live births | 15.2 deaths per 100 live births | 16.3 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.8 deaths per 100 live births | 14.57 deaths per 100 live births | 15.11 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.14 deaths per 100 live births | 13.35 deaths per 100 live births | 14.55 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.68 deaths per 100 live births | 10.09 deaths per 100 live births | 13.08 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.26 deaths per 100 live births | 6.95 deaths per 100 live births | 9.7 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.34 deaths per 100 live births | 5.95 deaths per 100 live births | 6.74 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 6.24 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 10 Lesotho 6.21 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 11 Chad 6.18 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 13 Pakistan 5.33 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 14 Equatorial Guinea 5.24 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 15 Afghanistan 5.2 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- 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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 79,693 (2025)
- Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 79,021 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 82,252 (2025)
- Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 81,100 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 84,700 (2025)
- Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 83,425 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone?
- Infant mortality by sex in Sierra Leone was 5.95 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality by sex recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 18.16 deaths per 100 live births in 1956.
- What is the lowest infant mortality by sex recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.95 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for infant mortality by sex?
- Sierra Leone ranks 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality by sex rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The estimated number of deaths of male children aged under one year, per 100 live births .