Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) in Cameroon
Cameroon: Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) was 24.8 per 1,000 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Mortality rate, neonatal in Cameroon, 1960–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in per 1,000 live births.
Analysis
In 2024, mortality rate, neonatal in Cameroon stood at 24.8 per 1,000 live births. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mortality rate, neonatal in Cameroon peaked at 73.4 per 1,000 live births in 1960 and was at its lowest, 24.8 per 1,000 live births, in 2024.
That places Cameroon 24th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) in Cameroon, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 73.4 per 1,000 live births | — |
| 1961 | 71.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1962 | 70.5 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 1963 | 69.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 68.5 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 67.5 per 1,000 live births | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 66.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 64.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 1968 | 62.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 60.9 per 1,000 live births | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 59.1 per 1,000 live births | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 57.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 1972 | 56.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 1973 | 55.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1974 | 54.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.1% |
| 1975 | 54.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 53.9 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 53.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 53.2 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 52.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 51.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 50.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 1982 | 49.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 48.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.6% |
| 1984 | 46.7 per 1,000 live births | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 45.1 per 1,000 live births | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 43.7 per 1,000 live births | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 42.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 1988 | 41.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 40.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 40.4 per 1,000 live births | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 40.2 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 40 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 39.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 39.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 39.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 38.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 38 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 1998 | 37.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 36.3 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 35.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2001 | 34.5 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 34 per 1,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 33.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 33.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 33.1 per 1,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 32.9 per 1,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 32.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 32.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 31.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2010 | 31.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 31.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 30.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 30.4 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 30 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 29.5 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 28.9 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 2017 | 28.4 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 27.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 27.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 26.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 26.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 25.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 25.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 24.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
Cameroon compared with similar countries
- Cameroon's 24.8 per 1,000 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 18.1 per 1,000 live births, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Cameroon's 24.8 per 1,000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.35 per 1,000 live births, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 67.59 per 1,000 live births | 60.9 per 1,000 live births | 73.4 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1970s | 55.04 per 1,000 live births | 52.6 per 1,000 live births | 59.1 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.06 per 1,000 live births | 40.8 per 1,000 live births | 51.8 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 38.94 per 1,000 live births | 36.3 per 1,000 live births | 40.4 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 33.36 per 1,000 live births | 31.9 per 1,000 live births | 35.4 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.59 per 1,000 live births | 27.3 per 1,000 live births | 31.6 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.76 per 1,000 live births | 24.8 per 1,000 live births | 26.8 per 1,000 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Cameroon
- 21 Ethiopia 25.2 per 1,000 live births compare
- 22 Mozambique 25.1 per 1,000 live births compare
- 23 Eswatini 25 per 1,000 live births compare
- 25 Burkina Faso 23.8 per 1,000 live births compare
- 26 Sudan 23.7 per 1,000 live births compare
- 27 Democratic Republic of Congo 23.6 per 1,000 live births compare
- 27 Malawi 23.6 per 1,000 live births compare
More health data for Cameroon
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.28 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.7821 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 12,841 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 17 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0746 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.21 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.076 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mortality rate, neonatal in Cameroon?
- Mortality rate, neonatal in Cameroon was 24.8 per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest mortality rate, neonatal recorded in Cameroon?
- The highest recorded value was 73.4 per 1,000 live births in 1960.
- What is the lowest mortality rate, neonatal recorded in Cameroon?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.8 per 1,000 live births in 2024.
- How does Cameroon rank for mortality rate, neonatal?
- Cameroon ranks 24th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mortality rate, neonatal rising or falling in Cameroon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Cameroon data come from?
- The figures come from UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Neonatal mortality rate is the number of neonates dying before reaching 28 days of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.