Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Infant mortality rate was 7.2% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of infants.
Analysis
In 2023, infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone stood at 7.2%. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 22.2% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 7.2%, in 2023.
Sierra Leone ranks 1st 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.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.5% | 20.7% | 22.2% | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.6% | 18.7% | 20.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.8% | 17.0% | 18.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.3% | 15.8% | 16.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.2% | 14.4% | 15.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.8% | 11.3% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.5% | 8.1% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.5% | 7.2% | 7.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
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 in Sierra Leone?
- Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone was 7.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 1950.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.2% in 2023.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for infant mortality rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 1st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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
The share of newborns who die before reaching the age of one.