Infant mortality rates (Our World) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Infant mortality rates (Our World) was 4.4 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.4
Change on year
down 2.7%
World rank
23rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
28.16
in 1950
All-time low
4.4
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Infant mortality rates in Afghanistan, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 4.4 for infant mortality rates in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rates in Afghanistan peaked at 28.16 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 4.4, in 2023.
Afghanistan ranks 23rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Infant mortality rates (Our World) in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 28.16 | — |
| 1951 | 27.74 | -1.5% |
| 1952 | 27.31 | -1.6% |
| 1953 | 26.87 | -1.6% |
| 1954 | 26.47 | -1.5% |
| 1955 | 25.98 | -1.9% |
| 1956 | 25.54 | -1.7% |
| 1957 | 25.09 | -1.8% |
| 1958 | 24.66 | -1.7% |
| 1959 | 24.23 | -1.7% |
| 1960 | 23.83 | -1.7% |
| 1961 | 23.43 | -1.7% |
| 1962 | 23.04 | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 22.67 | -1.6% |
| 1964 | 22.29 | -1.7% |
| 1965 | 21.92 | -1.6% |
| 1966 | 21.56 | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 21.2 | -1.7% |
| 1968 | 20.84 | -1.7% |
| 1969 | 20.48 | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 20.12 | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 19.76 | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 19.41 | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 19.04 | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 18.68 | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 18.3 | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 17.92 | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 17.52 | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 17.38 | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 17.31 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 16.94 | -2.2% |
| 1981 | 16.61 | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 17 | +2.3% |
| 1983 | 16.6 | -2.3% |
| 1984 | 17.57 | +5.9% |
| 1985 | 17.12 | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 15.35 | -10.4% |
| 1987 | 14.97 | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 13.84 | -7.5% |
| 1989 | 13.34 | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 12.96 | -2.8% |
| 1991 | 12.65 | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 12.11 | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 11.28 | -6.8% |
| 1994 | 10.89 | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 10.61 | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 10.3 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 10.08 | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 9.89 | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 9.49 | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 9.21 | -2.9% |
| 2001 | 8.95 | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 8.68 | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 8.34 | -4.0% |
| 2004 | 8.06 | -3.4% |
| 2005 | 7.8 | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 7.53 | -3.4% |
| 2007 | 7.24 | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 6.96 | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 6.76 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 6.54 | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 6.3 | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 6.08 | -3.5% |
| 2013 | 5.88 | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 5.75 | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 5.61 | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 5.45 | -2.9% |
| 2017 | 5.15 | -5.4% |
| 2018 | 5.01 | -2.9% |
| 2019 | 4.9 | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 4.8 | -2.0% |
| 2021 | 4.69 | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 4.52 | -3.7% |
| 2023 | 4.4 | -2.7% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 4.4 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.5, 98% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 4.4 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.42, 3.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 26.2 | 24.23 | 28.16 | 10 |
| 1960s | 22.13 | 20.48 | 23.83 | 10 |
| 1970s | 18.54 | 17.31 | 20.12 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.93 | 13.34 | 17.57 | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.03 | 9.49 | 12.96 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.95 | 6.76 | 9.21 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.67 | 4.9 | 6.54 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.6 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 14,735 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 19 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.077 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0804 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rates in Afghanistan?
- Infant mortality rates in Afghanistan was 4.4 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rates recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 28.16 in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rates recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.4 in 2023.
- How does Afghanistan rank for infant mortality rates?
- Afghanistan ranks 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rates rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).