Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024) was 54.6 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
54.6
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
12th
of 201 countries
All-time high
170.16
in 1956
All-time low
54.6
in 2024
Years of data
69
1956–2024
Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone, 1956–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Sierra Leone recorded 54.6 for infant mortality rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.0% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 170.16 in 1956 and was at its lowest, 54.6, in 2024.
Sierra Leone ranks 12th of 201 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 170.16 | — |
| 1957 | 169.03 | -0.7% |
| 1958 | 167.72 | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 166.82 | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 165.75 | -0.6% |
| 1961 | 164.75 | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 163.61 | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 162.44 | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 161.22 | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 159.76 | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 158.29 | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 156.77 | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 155.28 | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 153.86 | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 152.51 | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 151.05 | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 149.73 | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 148.44 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 147.44 | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 146.19 | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 145.09 | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 144.02 | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 142.92 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 141.89 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 140.91 | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 140.1 | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 139.34 | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 138.65 | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 138.06 | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 137.49 | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 136.94 | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 136.38 | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 135.88 | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 135.62 | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 135.35 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 135.09 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 134.79 | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 134.48 | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 133.84 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 132.91 | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 131.59 | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 129.96 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 127.97 | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 125.86 | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 123.39 | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 120.81 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 118.21 | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 115.37 | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 112.36 | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 109.25 | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 105.88 | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 102.31 | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 98.59 | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 94.72 | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 90.84 | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 87.01 | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 83.44 | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 80.08 | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 77.76 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 76.95 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 71.31 | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 68.71 | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 66.26 | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 64.04 | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 61.92 | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 59.94 | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 58.06 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 56.3 | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 54.6 | -3.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 54.6 is above the median for low income countries, which is 42.97, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 54.6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 37.19, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 168.43 | 166.82 | 170.16 | 4 |
| 1960s | 160.17 | 153.86 | 165.75 | 10 |
| 1970s | 146.93 | 141.89 | 152.51 | 10 |
| 1980s | 137.94 | 135.62 | 140.91 | 10 |
| 1990s | 132.18 | 125.86 | 135.35 | 10 |
| 2000s | 110.09 | 94.72 | 123.39 | 10 |
| 2010s | 76.64 | 64.04 | 90.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.16 | 54.6 | 61.92 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 56.42 compare
- 10 Lesotho 56.34 compare
- 11 Chad 56.26 compare
- 13 Afghanistan 48.31 compare
- 14 Pakistan 48.21 compare
- 15 Equatorial Guinea 47.6 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 infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone?
- Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone was 54.6 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 170.16 in 1956.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.6 in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for infant mortality rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 12th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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