Infant mortality rate in Kenya

Kenya: Infant mortality rate was 3.0% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
3.0%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
44th
of 236 countries
All-time high
15.4%
in 1950
All-time low
3.0%
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Infant mortality rate in Kenya, 1950–2023

2.557.51012.515195019862023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for infant mortality rate in Kenya is 3.0%, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Kenya peaked at 15.4% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2023.

That places Kenya 44th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 13.6% 11.7% 15.4% 10
1960s 10.2% 9.4% 11.3% 10
1970s 8.3% 7.4% 9.2% 10
1980s 6.7% 6.4% 7.2% 10
1990s 6.9% 6.6% 7.0% 10
2000s 5.1% 4.1% 6.3% 10
2010s 3.5% 3.2% 3.9% 10
2020s 3.1% 3.0% 3.1% 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 41 Laos 3.2% compare
  2. 42 Mauritania 3.1% compare
  3. 43 Ghana 3.1% compare
  4. 45 Malawi 3.0% compare
  5. 46 Gambia 2.9% compare
  6. 47 Tanzania 2.9% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant mortality rate in Kenya?
Infant mortality rate in Kenya was 3.0% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 15.4% in 1950.
What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2023.
How does Kenya rank for infant mortality rate?
Kenya ranks 44th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya 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.