Infant mortality rate in Malawi
Malawi: Infant mortality rate was 3.8 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
3.8 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
29th
of 199 countries
All-time high
16.59 deaths per 100 live births
in 1969
All-time low
3.8 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Infant mortality rate in Malawi, 1961–2024
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
The most recent figure for infant mortality rate in Malawi is 3.8 deaths per 100 live births, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Malawi peaked at 16.59 deaths per 100 live births in 1969 and was at its lowest, 3.8 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 29th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate in Malawi, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.38 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1962 | 16.41 deaths per 100 live births | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 16.45 deaths per 100 live births | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 16.47 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 16.52 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 16.54 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 16.57 deaths per 100 live births | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 16.57 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 16.59 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 16.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 16.36 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 16.14 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 1973 | 15.87 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 15.54 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 15.18 deaths per 100 live births | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 14.81 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 14.42 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1978 | 14.01 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 13.6 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 1980 | 13.25 deaths per 100 live births | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 13 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 12.89 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 12.95 deaths per 100 live births | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 13.17 deaths per 100 live births | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 13.46 deaths per 100 live births | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 13.71 deaths per 100 live births | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 13.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 13.84 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 13.67 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 13.4 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 1991 | 13.05 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 1992 | 12.64 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 1993 | 12.26 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 11.91 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 11.58 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 11.36 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 11.17 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 10.9 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 10.45 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 9.89 deaths per 100 live births | -5.4% |
| 2001 | 13.85 deaths per 100 live births | +40.0% |
| 2002 | 8.38 deaths per 100 live births | -39.5% |
| 2003 | 7.64 deaths per 100 live births | -8.8% |
| 2004 | 7.01 deaths per 100 live births | -8.3% |
| 2005 | 6.51 deaths per 100 live births | -7.1% |
| 2006 | 6.16 deaths per 100 live births | -5.5% |
| 2007 | 5.91 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 5.6 deaths per 100 live births | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 5.37 deaths per 100 live births | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 5.15 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 4.8 deaths per 100 live births | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 4.51 deaths per 100 live births | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 4.26 deaths per 100 live births | -5.6% |
| 2014 | 4.11 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2015 | 3.97 deaths per 100 live births | -3.3% |
| 2016 | 3.91 deaths per 100 live births | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 3.85 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 3.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 3.82 deaths per 100 live births | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 3.83 deaths per 100 live births | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 3.86 deaths per 100 live births | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.84 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | -1.1% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 3.8 deaths per 100 live births is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.3 deaths per 100 live births, 88% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 3.8 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.72 deaths per 100 live births, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality rate in Malawi 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +40.0% | 9.89 deaths per 100 live births | 13.85 deaths per 100 live births |
| 2002 | -39.5% | 13.85 deaths per 100 live births | 8.38 deaths per 100 live births |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.5 deaths per 100 live births | 16.38 deaths per 100 live births | 16.59 deaths per 100 live births | 9 |
| 1970s | 15.25 deaths per 100 live births | 13.6 deaths per 100 live births | 16.51 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.38 deaths per 100 live births | 12.89 deaths per 100 live births | 13.84 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.87 deaths per 100 live births | 10.45 deaths per 100 live births | 13.4 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.63 deaths per 100 live births | 5.37 deaths per 100 live births | 13.85 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.22 deaths per 100 live births | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | 5.15 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.83 deaths per 100 live births | 3.8 deaths per 100 live births | 3.86 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 26 Cameroon 4.02 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 27 Haiti 3.9 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 28 Kiribati 3.88 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 30 Namibia 3.64 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 31 Uganda 3.59 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 32 Comoros 3.5 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Malawi
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -0.8368 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9312 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % 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 0.0714 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % 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 Malawi?
- Infant mortality rate in Malawi was 3.8 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 16.59 deaths per 100 live births in 1969.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.8 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for infant mortality rate?
- Malawi ranks 29th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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 .