Infant mortality rate in Somalia
Somalia: Infant mortality rate was 6.54 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
6.54 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 2.8%
World rank
4th
of 199 countries
All-time high
22.32 deaths per 100 live births
in 1992
All-time low
6.54 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
42
1983–2024
Infant mortality rate in Somalia, 1983–2024
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
Somalia recorded 6.54 deaths per 100 live births for infant mortality rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in Somalia peaked at 22.32 deaths per 100 live births in 1992 and was at its lowest, 6.54 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
Somalia ranks 4th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 42 years of available data.
Infant mortality rate in Somalia, year by year
| Year | deaths per 100 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 10.72 deaths per 100 live births | — |
| 1984 | 10.69 deaths per 100 live births | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 10.7 deaths per 100 live births | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 10.73 deaths per 100 live births | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 10.77 deaths per 100 live births | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 10.77 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 10.72 deaths per 100 live births | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 10.63 deaths per 100 live births | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 21.64 deaths per 100 live births | +103.6% |
| 1992 | 22.32 deaths per 100 live births | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 21.85 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | -52.5% |
| 1995 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 10.35 deaths per 100 live births | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 10.25 deaths per 100 live births | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 10.05 deaths per 100 live births | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 9.84 deaths per 100 live births | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 11.25 deaths per 100 live births | +14.4% |
| 2011 | 21.76 deaths per 100 live births | +93.3% |
| 2012 | 11.22 deaths per 100 live births | -48.4% |
| 2013 | 8.84 deaths per 100 live births | -21.2% |
| 2014 | 8.6 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
| 2015 | 8.37 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 8.15 deaths per 100 live births | -2.6% |
| 2017 | 9.65 deaths per 100 live births | +18.4% |
| 2018 | 8.51 deaths per 100 live births | -11.8% |
| 2019 | 7.5 deaths per 100 live births | -11.9% |
| 2020 | 7.29 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 7.09 deaths per 100 live births | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 8.92 deaths per 100 live births | +25.8% |
| 2023 | 6.73 deaths per 100 live births | -24.6% |
| 2024 | 6.54 deaths per 100 live births | -2.8% |
Somalia compared with similar countries
- Somalia's 6.54 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.3 deaths per 100 live births, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Somalia's 6.54 deaths per 100 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.72 deaths per 100 live births, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Infant mortality rate in Somalia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +103.6% | 10.63 deaths per 100 live births | 21.64 deaths per 100 live births |
| 2011 | +93.3% | 11.25 deaths per 100 live births | 21.76 deaths per 100 live births |
| 1994 | -52.5% | 21.85 deaths per 100 live births | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births |
| 2012 | -48.4% | 21.76 deaths per 100 live births | 11.22 deaths per 100 live births |
| 2022 | +25.8% | 7.09 deaths per 100 live births | 8.92 deaths per 100 live births |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.73 deaths per 100 live births | 10.69 deaths per 100 live births | 10.77 deaths per 100 live births | 7 |
| 1990s | 13.88 deaths per 100 live births | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | 22.32 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.28 deaths per 100 live births | 9.84 deaths per 100 live births | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.39 deaths per 100 live births | 7.5 deaths per 100 live births | 21.76 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.32 deaths per 100 live births | 6.54 deaths per 100 live births | 8.92 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Somalia
- 1 South Sudan 7.19 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 2 Nigeria 6.98 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 3 Niger 6.56 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 5 Liberia 6.32 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 6 Zimbabwe 6.24 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 7 Guinea 5.98 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Somalia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.41 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 987.7 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 32,421 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 182 (2013)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.39 % 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 0.0897 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.38 % 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 Somalia?
- Infant mortality rate in Somalia was 6.54 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 Somalia?
- The highest recorded value was 22.32 deaths per 100 live births in 1992.
- What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in Somalia?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.54 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Somalia rank for infant mortality rate?
- Somalia ranks 4th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in Somalia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Somalia 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under one year, per 100 live births .