Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region)
Africa (WHO region): Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) was 46.32 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
46.32
Change on year
down 2.3%
Rank
2nd
of 11 groups
All-time high
100.66
in 1990
All-time low
46.32
in 2024
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region), 1990–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Africa (WHO region) recorded 46.32 for infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.3% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region) peaked at 100.66 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 46.32, in 2024.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 100.66 | — |
| 1991 | 99.84 | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 99.32 | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 98.68 | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 98.93 | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 96.63 | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 97.64 | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 95.96 | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 94.69 | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 91.03 | -3.9% |
| 2000 | 88.24 | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 85.99 | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 81.9 | -4.8% |
| 2003 | 78.6 | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 75.32 | -4.2% |
| 2005 | 70.82 | -6.0% |
| 2006 | 67.92 | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 65.27 | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 62.81 | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 61.69 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 58.97 | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 57.15 | -3.1% |
| 2012 | 55.57 | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 54.32 | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 53.88 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 53.04 | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 52.32 | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 51.55 | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 49.92 | -3.2% |
| 2019 | 49.51 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 48.7 | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 49.61 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 49.73 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 47.39 | -4.7% |
| 2024 | 46.32 | -2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 97.34 | 91.03 | 100.66 | 10 |
| 2000s | 73.86 | 61.69 | 88.24 | 10 |
| 2010s | 53.62 | 49.51 | 58.97 | 10 |
| 2020s | 48.35 | 46.32 | 49.73 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa (WHO region)
More health data for Africa (WHO region)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 12,202 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,578 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 1,654 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 179,400 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 20,261 (2025)
- Number of under-five deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of neonatal deaths, annual growth rate -0.0365 % change on previous year (2024)
- Number of infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8695 % change on previous year (2024)
- Measles - number of reported cases, annual growth rate -8.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, annual growth rate 160.28 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region)?
- Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) in Africa (WHO region) was 46.32 in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 100.66 in 1990.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) recorded in Africa (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 46.32 in 2024.
- How does Africa (WHO region) rank for infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1)?
- Africa (WHO region) ranks 2nd out of 11 groups with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1) rising or falling in Africa (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Infant mortality rate (probability of dying between birth and age 1 per 1000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).