Infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Infant mortality rate was 5.64 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
5.64 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
9th
of 199 countries
All-time high
12.83 deaths per 100 live births
in 1969
All-time low
5.51 deaths per 100 live births
in 2015
Years of data
56
1969–2024
Infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1969–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.
Analysis
In 2024, infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 5.64 deaths per 100 live births.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 12.83 deaths per 100 live births in 1969 and was at its lowest, 5.51 deaths per 100 live births, in 2015.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 9th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 12.83 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1970 | 12.72 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 12.59 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 12.44 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1973 | 12.28 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 12.11 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 11.94 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 11.76 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 11.59 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1978 | 11.39 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 11.22 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 11.06 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1981 | 10.9 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 10.75 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 10.61 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 10.5 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 10.38 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1986 | 10.28 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1987 | 10.17 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1988 | 10.06 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 9.96 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 9.85 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 9.75 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 9.65 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 9.57 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 9.5 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 9.43 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 11.81 deaths per 100 live births | +25.2% |
| 1997 | 11.65 deaths per 100 live births | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 11.05 deaths per 100 live births | -5.2% |
| 1999 | 10.79 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 10.5 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 2001 | 10.18 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 9.85 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 9.52 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 9.17 deaths per 100 live births | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 7.2 deaths per 100 live births | -21.5% |
| 2006 | 6.9 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 6.62 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 6.37 deaths per 100 live births | -3.8% |
| 2009 | 6.14 deaths per 100 live births | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 5.95 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 5.79 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 5.67 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 5.58 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 2014 | 5.53 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 5.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 5.51 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.54 deaths per 100 live births | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 5.58 deaths per 100 live births | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 5.65 deaths per 100 live births | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 5.72 deaths per 100 live births | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 5.76 deaths per 100 live births | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 5.76 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.72 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 5.64 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 5.64 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.3 deaths per 100 live births, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 5.64 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.72 deaths per 100 live births, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | +25.2% | 9.43 deaths per 100 live births | 11.81 deaths per 100 live births |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.83 deaths per 100 live births | 12.83 deaths per 100 live births | 12.83 deaths per 100 live births | 1 |
| 1970s | 12 deaths per 100 live births | 11.22 deaths per 100 live births | 12.72 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.47 deaths per 100 live births | 9.96 deaths per 100 live births | 11.06 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.31 deaths per 100 live births | 9.43 deaths per 100 live births | 11.81 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.24 deaths per 100 live births | 6.14 deaths per 100 live births | 10.5 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.63 deaths per 100 live births | 5.51 deaths per 100 live births | 5.95 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.72 deaths per 100 live births | 5.64 deaths per 100 live births | 5.76 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 6 Zimbabwe 6.24 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 7 Guinea 5.98 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 8 Central African Republic 5.88 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 10 Lesotho 5.63 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 11 Chad 5.63 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 12 Sierra Leone 5.46 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Infant mortality rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 5.64 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 12.83 deaths per 100 live births in 1969.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.51 deaths per 100 live births in 2015.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for infant mortality rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 9th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – 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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About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under one year, per 100 live births .