Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Infant mortality rate was 5.46 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
5.46 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
12th
of 199 countries
All-time high
17.02 deaths per 100 live births
in 1956
All-time low
5.46 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
69
1956–2024
Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone, 1956–2024
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 Sierra Leone is 5.46 deaths per 100 live births, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 17.02 deaths per 100 live births in 1956 and was at its lowest, 5.46 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 69 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 17.02 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1957 | 16.9 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1958 | 16.77 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 16.68 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 16.57 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
| 1961 | 16.47 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
| 1962 | 16.36 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 16.24 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 16.12 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1965 | 15.98 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1966 | 15.83 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1967 | 15.68 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 15.53 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 15.39 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 15.25 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 15.1 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 14.97 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 14.84 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 14.74 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 14.62 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 14.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 14.4 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 14.29 deaths per 100 live births | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 14.19 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 14.09 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 14.01 deaths per 100 live births | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 13.93 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 13.87 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 13.81 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 13.75 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 13.69 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 13.64 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 13.59 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 13.56 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 13.54 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 13.51 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 13.48 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 13.45 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1994 | 13.38 deaths per 100 live births | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 13.29 deaths per 100 live births | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 13.16 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 13 deaths per 100 live births | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 12.8 deaths per 100 live births | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 12.59 deaths per 100 live births | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 12.34 deaths per 100 live births | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 12.08 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 11.82 deaths per 100 live births | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 11.54 deaths per 100 live births | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 11.24 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 10.93 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 2006 | 10.59 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 10.23 deaths per 100 live births | -3.4% |
| 2008 | 9.86 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 9.47 deaths per 100 live births | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 9.08 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 8.7 deaths per 100 live births | -4.2% |
| 2012 | 8.34 deaths per 100 live births | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 8.01 deaths per 100 live births | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 7.78 deaths per 100 live births | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 7.69 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 7.13 deaths per 100 live births | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 6.87 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2018 | 6.63 deaths per 100 live births | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 6.4 deaths per 100 live births | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 6.19 deaths per 100 live births | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 5.99 deaths per 100 live births | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 5.81 deaths per 100 live births | -3.1% |
| 2023 | 5.63 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 5.46 deaths per 100 live births | -3.0% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 5.46 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)
- Sierra Leone's 5.46 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)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.84 deaths per 100 live births | 16.68 deaths per 100 live births | 17.02 deaths per 100 live births | 4 |
| 1960s | 16.02 deaths per 100 live births | 15.39 deaths per 100 live births | 16.57 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 14.69 deaths per 100 live births | 14.19 deaths per 100 live births | 15.25 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.79 deaths per 100 live births | 13.56 deaths per 100 live births | 14.09 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.22 deaths per 100 live births | 12.59 deaths per 100 live births | 13.54 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.01 deaths per 100 live births | 9.47 deaths per 100 live births | 12.34 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 7.66 deaths per 100 live births | 6.4 deaths per 100 live births | 9.08 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.82 deaths per 100 live births | 5.46 deaths per 100 live births | 6.19 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 9 Democratic Republic of Congo 5.64 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
- 13 Afghanistan 4.83 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 14 Pakistan 4.82 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 15 Equatorial Guinea 4.76 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 Sierra Leone?
- Infant mortality rate in Sierra Leone was 5.46 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 17.02 deaths per 100 live births in 1956.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.46 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for infant mortality rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 .