Infant mortality by sex in South Africa
South Africa: Infant mortality by sex was 2.61 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.61
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
60th
of 199 countries
All-time high
11.66
in 1976
All-time low
2.61
in 2024
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Infant mortality by sex in South Africa, 1976–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.61 for infant mortality by sex in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality by sex in South Africa peaked at 11.66 in 1976 and was at its lowest, 2.61, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 60th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Infant mortality by sex in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 11.66 | — |
| 1977 | 11.01 | -5.6% |
| 1978 | 10.4 | -5.6% |
| 1979 | 9.82 | -5.6% |
| 1980 | 9.29 | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 8.79 | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 8.33 | -5.2% |
| 1983 | 7.92 | -5.0% |
| 1984 | 7.53 | -4.8% |
| 1985 | 7.18 | -4.7% |
| 1986 | 6.84 | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 6.51 | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 6.2 | -4.7% |
| 1989 | 5.92 | -4.6% |
| 1990 | 5.66 | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 5.45 | -3.8% |
| 1992 | 5.27 | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 5.15 | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 5.06 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 4.98 | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 4.91 | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 4.87 | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 4.87 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 4.92 | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 4.96 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 5.03 | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 5.06 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 5.13 | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 5.16 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 5.06 | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 4.88 | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 4.67 | -4.3% |
| 2008 | 4.35 | -6.8% |
| 2009 | 4.07 | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 3.84 | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 3.68 | -4.3% |
| 2012 | 3.55 | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 3.42 | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 3.28 | -4.3% |
| 2015 | 3.13 | -4.3% |
| 2016 | 3 | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 2.88 | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 2.77 | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 2.69 | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 2.64 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 2.62 | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 2.61 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 2.62 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 2.61 | -0.3% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.61 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.27, 2.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.61 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.11, 63% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.72 | 9.82 | 11.66 | 4 |
| 1980s | 7.45 | 5.92 | 9.29 | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.11 | 4.87 | 5.66 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.84 | 4.07 | 5.16 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.22 | 2.69 | 3.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.62 | 2.61 | 2.64 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 57 Tajikistan, Republic of 2.64 compare
- 58 Guyana 2.61 compare
- 59 Bangladesh 2.61 compare
- 61 Fiji, Republic of 2.58 compare
- 62 Marshall Islands, Republic of the 2.51 compare
- 63 Niue 2.45 compare
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,152 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % 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 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % 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 infant mortality by sex in South Africa?
- Infant mortality by sex in South Africa was 2.61 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality by sex recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 11.66 in 1976.
- What is the lowest infant mortality by sex recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.61 in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for infant mortality by sex?
- South Africa ranks 60th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality by sex rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).