Infant mortality (Our World) in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Infant mortality (Our World) was 3.45 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Infant mortality in Ethiopia, 1966–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, infant mortality in Ethiopia stood at 3.45. That is the lowest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.8% on the previous year and down 31.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality in Ethiopia peaked at 19.56 in 1983 and was at its lowest, 3.45, in 2024.
Ethiopia ranks 36th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.
Infant mortality (Our World) in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 14.29 | — |
| 1967 | 14.32 | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 14.37 | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 14.43 | +0.4% |
| 1970 | 14.47 | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 14.53 | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 16.86 | +16.0% |
| 1973 | 16.86 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | 16.84 | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 16.84 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 14.76 | -12.4% |
| 1977 | 14.8 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 14.83 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 14.79 | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 14.73 | -0.4% |
| 1981 | 14.63 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 14.49 | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 19.56 | +35.0% |
| 1984 | 19.24 | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 18.61 | -3.3% |
| 1986 | 18.25 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 13.43 | -26.4% |
| 1988 | 13.21 | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 12.97 | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 12.72 | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 12.44 | -2.2% |
| 1992 | 12.13 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 11.79 | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 11.41 | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 11.03 | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 10.65 | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 10.28 | -3.5% |
| 1998 | 9.91 | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 9.57 | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 9.23 | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 8.89 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 8.53 | -4.0% |
| 2003 | 8.17 | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 7.8 | -4.5% |
| 2005 | 7.44 | -4.6% |
| 2006 | 7.09 | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 6.77 | -4.5% |
| 2008 | 6.47 | -4.5% |
| 2009 | 6.18 | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 5.92 | -4.3% |
| 2011 | 5.68 | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 5.44 | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 5.22 | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 5 | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 4.79 | -4.2% |
| 2016 | 4.59 | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 4.4 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 4.23 | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 4.08 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 3.94 | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 4.99 | +26.5% |
| 2022 | 4.83 | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 3.87 | -20.0% |
| 2024 | 3.45 | -10.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 3.45 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.3, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 3.45 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.72, 93% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality (Our World) in Ethiopia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +35.0% | 14.49 | 19.56 |
| 2021 | +26.5% | 3.94 | 4.99 |
| 1987 | -26.4% | 18.25 | 13.43 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 14.35 | 14.29 | 14.43 | 4 |
| 1970s | 15.56 | 14.47 | 16.86 | 10 |
| 1980s | 15.91 | 12.97 | 19.56 | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.19 | 9.57 | 12.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.66 | 6.18 | 9.23 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.94 | 4.08 | 5.92 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.21 | 3.45 | 4.99 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More health data for Ethiopia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9494 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 19,997 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 148 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.34 % 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 0.0709 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0742 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is infant mortality in Ethiopia?
- Infant mortality in Ethiopia was 3.45 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest infant mortality recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.56 in 1983.
- What is the lowest infant mortality recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.45 in 2024.
- How does Ethiopia rank for infant mortality?
- Ethiopia ranks 36th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).