Infant mortality rate in Australia

Australia: Infant mortality rate was 0.3% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
0.3%
Change on year
down 12.4%
World rank
204th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.5%
in 1951
All-time low
0.3%
in 2016
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Infant mortality rate in Australia, 1950–2023

0.511.522.5195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of infants.

Analysis

In 2023, infant mortality rate in Australia stood at 0.3%.

The figure is down 12.4% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Australia peaked at 2.5% in 1951 and was at its lowest, 0.3%, in 2016.

That places Australia 204th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2.3% 2.1% 2.5% 10
1960s 1.9% 1.8% 2.0% 10
1970s 1.5% 1.1% 1.9% 10
1980s 0.9% 0.8% 1.1% 10
1990s 0.6% 0.5% 0.8% 10
2000s 0.5% 0.4% 0.5% 10
2010s 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 10
2020s 0.3% 0.3% 0.4% 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 201 Netherlands 0.3% compare
  2. 202 Belgium 0.3% compare
  3. 203 Greece 0.3% compare
  4. 205 Hungary 0.3% compare
  5. 205 Poland 0.3% compare
  6. 207 Switzerland 0.3% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant mortality rate in Australia?
Infant mortality rate in Australia was 0.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 2.5% in 1951.
What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 0.3% in 2016.
How does Australia rank for infant mortality rate?
Australia ranks 204th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rate. 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).

About this data

Indicator
Infant mortality rate
Unit
% of infants
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The share of newborns who die before reaching the age of one.