Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) in Malawi
Malawi: Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) was 23.6 per 1,000 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
23.6 per 1,000 live births
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
27th
of 197 countries
All-time high
70 per 1,000 live births
in 1969
All-time low
23.6 per 1,000 live births
in 2024
Years of data
56
1969–2024
Mortality rate, neonatal in Malawi, 1969–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in per 1,000 live births.
Analysis
The most recent figure for mortality rate, neonatal in Malawi is 23.6 per 1,000 live births, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mortality rate, neonatal in Malawi peaked at 70 per 1,000 live births in 1969 and was at its lowest, 23.6 per 1,000 live births, in 2024.
Malawi ranks 27th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Mortality rate, neonatal (per 1,000 live births) in Malawi, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 70 per 1,000 live births | — |
| 1970 | 69.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 68.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 67.1 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 1973 | 65.6 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1974 | 64.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 62.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 1976 | 61.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 1977 | 59.9 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 58.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 57.6 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 1980 | 56.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1981 | 55.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 54.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 54.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 53.9 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 53.7 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 53.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 52.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.9% |
| 1988 | 51.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.7% |
| 1989 | 50.9 per 1,000 live births | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 49.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 48.6 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 47.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 46.3 per 1,000 live births | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 45.3 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 1995 | 44.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 1996 | 43.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 42.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 41.6 per 1,000 live births | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 39.9 per 1,000 live births | -4.1% |
| 2000 | 37.9 per 1,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 37.2 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 33.8 per 1,000 live births | -9.1% |
| 2003 | 32 per 1,000 live births | -5.3% |
| 2004 | 30.5 per 1,000 live births | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 29.4 per 1,000 live births | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 28.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 28.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 27.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 27.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 26.7 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 26.1 per 1,000 live births | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 25.4 per 1,000 live births | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 24.8 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 24.3 per 1,000 live births | -2.0% |
| 2015 | 24 per 1,000 live births | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 23.9 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 23.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 23.9 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 23.6 per 1,000 live births | -0.8% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 23.6 per 1,000 live births is below the median for low income countries, which is 23.8 per 1,000 live births, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 23.6 per 1,000 live births is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 23.35 per 1,000 live births, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 70 per 1,000 live births | 70 per 1,000 live births | 70 per 1,000 live births | 1 |
| 1970s | 63.46 per 1,000 live births | 57.6 per 1,000 live births | 69.3 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1980s | 53.81 per 1,000 live births | 50.9 per 1,000 live births | 56.7 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.98 per 1,000 live births | 39.9 per 1,000 live births | 49.8 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 31.29 per 1,000 live births | 27.3 per 1,000 live births | 37.9 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.66 per 1,000 live births | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | 26.7 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8 per 1,000 live births | 23.6 per 1,000 live births | 23.9 per 1,000 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 24 Cameroon 24.8 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
- 29 Madagascar 23.1 per 1,000 live births compare
- 30 Gambia 23 per 1,000 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)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 6,399 (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)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0718 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mortality rate, neonatal in Malawi?
- Mortality rate, neonatal in Malawi was 23.6 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 Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 70 per 1,000 live births in 1969.
- What is the lowest mortality rate, neonatal recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.6 per 1,000 live births in 2024.
- How does Malawi rank for mortality rate, neonatal?
- Malawi ranks 27th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mortality rate, neonatal rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Malawi 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.
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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.