Infant mortality rate by sex in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Infant mortality rate by sex was 4.93 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate 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
Sierra Leone recorded 4.93 deaths per 100 live births for infant mortality rate by sex in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 30.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate by sex in Sierra Leone peaked at 15.78 deaths per 100 live births in 1956 and was at its lowest, 4.93 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 | 15.63 deaths per 100 live births | 15.48 deaths per 100 live births | 15.78 deaths per 100 live births | 4 |
| 1960s | 14.85 deaths per 100 live births | 14.25 deaths per 100 live births | 15.39 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.59 deaths per 100 live births | 13.12 deaths per 100 live births | 14.12 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.72 deaths per 100 live births | 12.49 deaths per 100 live births | 13.03 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.25 deaths per 100 live births | 11.77 deaths per 100 live births | 12.46 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.3 deaths per 100 live births | 8.82 deaths per 100 live births | 11.56 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.03 deaths per 100 live births | 5.82 deaths per 100 live births | 8.43 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.27 deaths per 100 live births | 4.93 deaths per 100 live births | 5.62 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 9 Chad 5.04 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 10 Democratic Republic of Congo 5.03 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 11 Lesotho 5.03 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 13 Afghanistan 4.45 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 14 Mali 4.33 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 15 Pakistan 4.28 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 rate by sex in Sierra Leone?
- Infant mortality rate by sex in Sierra Leone was 4.93 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 rate by sex recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 15.78 deaths per 100 live births in 1956.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate by sex recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.93 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for infant mortality rate by sex?
- Sierra Leone ranks 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate by sex rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 30.8%. 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 rate by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The estimated number of deaths of female children aged under one year, per 100 live births .