Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa

West and Central Africa: Infant mortality rate was 56.41 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
56.41
Change on year
down 1.5%
Rank
1st
of 33 groups
All-time high
103.48
in 1990
All-time low
56.41
in 2024
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa, 1990–2024

02550751001990200720241990: 103.51991: 102.71992: 102.11993: 101.61994: 1011995: 100.11996: 103.11997: 101.61998: 991999: 96.72000: 94.12001: 91.22002: 88.32003: 85.32004: 82.42005: 772006: 74.52007: 72.22008: 702009: 702010: 66.62011: 652012: 63.72013: 62.62014: 622015: 60.92016: 60.32017: 602018: 59.52019: 59.82020: 58.92021: 58.82022: 59.52023: 57.32024: 56.4

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

In 2024, infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa stood at 56.41. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.5% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa peaked at 103.48 in 1990 and was at its lowest, 56.41, in 2024.

That places West and Central Africa 1st out of 33 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa, year by year

Annual values for Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024) in West and Central Africa, 1990 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1990 103.48
1991 102.72 -0.7%
1992 102.15 -0.6%
1993 101.59 -0.5%
1994 100.96 -0.6%
1995 100.08 -0.9%
1996 103.13 +3.1%
1997 101.55 -1.5%
1998 99.01 -2.5%
1999 96.73 -2.3%
2000 94.12 -2.7%
2001 91.23 -3.1%
2002 88.26 -3.3%
2003 85.3 -3.4%
2004 82.39 -3.4%
2005 77.02 -6.5%
2006 74.5 -3.3%
2007 72.18 -3.1%
2008 70.05 -3.0%
2009 69.96 -0.1%
2010 66.58 -4.8%
2011 64.98 -2.4%
2012 63.66 -2.0%
2013 62.6 -1.7%
2014 61.99 -1.0%
2015 60.94 -1.7%
2016 60.35 -1.0%
2017 60.01 -0.6%
2018 59.48 -0.9%
2019 59.8 +0.5%
2020 58.87 -1.6%
2021 58.79 -0.1%
2022 59.55 +1.3%
2023 57.29 -3.8%
2024 56.41 -1.5%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 101.14 96.73 103.48 10
2000s 80.5 69.96 94.12 10
2010s 62.04 59.48 66.58 10
2020s 58.18 56.41 59.55 5

Countries ranked near West and Central Africa

  1. 1 South Sudan 71.87 compare
  2. 2 Nigeria 69.77 compare
  3. 3 Niger 65.62 compare
  4. 4 Somalia 65.4 compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More health data for West and Central Africa

All data for West and Central Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa?
Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa was 56.41 in 2024, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in West and Central Africa?
The highest recorded value was 103.48 in 1990.
What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in West and Central Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 56.41 in 2024.
How does West and Central Africa rank for infant mortality rate?
West and Central Africa ranks 1st out of 33 groups with data for 2024.
Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in West and Central Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this West and Central Africa 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

CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-mortality-rate-un-igme-estimate-2024/west-and-central-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-mortality-rate-un-igme-estimate-2024/west-and-central-africa/">Infant mortality rate in West and Central Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Infant mortality rate (UN IGME estimate, 2024)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
235 places, 14,450 data points, 1931–2024
Last refreshed