Infant mortality rate in India

India: Infant mortality rate was 2.3% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.3%
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
63rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.6%
in 1950
All-time low
2.3%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Infant mortality rate in India, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

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

Analysis

In 2023, infant mortality rate in India stood at 2.3%. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is down 5.2% on the previous year and down 42.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in India peaked at 17.6% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 2.3%, in 2023.

That places India 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 16.5% 15.5% 17.6% 10
1960s 14.9% 14.1% 15.3% 10
1970s 13.1% 11.9% 14.0% 10
1980s 10.5% 9.4% 11.7% 10
1990s 8.2% 7.1% 9.2% 10
2000s 5.8% 4.8% 6.9% 10
2010s 3.6% 2.8% 4.6% 10
2020s 2.5% 2.3% 2.7% 4

Countries ranked near India

  1. 60 Western Sahara 2.4% compare
  2. 61 Fiji 2.3% compare
  3. 62 Bangladesh 2.3% compare
  4. 64 Marshall Islands 2.2% compare
  5. 65 Nepal 2.2% compare
  6. 66 Guyana 2.1% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant mortality rate in India?
Infant mortality rate in India was 2.3% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 17.6% in 1950.
What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 2.3% in 2023.
How does India rank for infant mortality rate?
India ranks 63rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is down 42.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this India 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.

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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.