Mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa
South Africa: Mortality rate, under-5, female was 32.4 per 1,000 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.4 per 1,000 live births
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
51st
of 197 countries
All-time high
109.1 per 1,000 live births
in 1976
All-time low
31.3 per 1,000 live births
in 2020
Years of data
49
1976–2024
Mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa, 1976–2024
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, under-5, female in South Africa stood at 32.4 per 1,000 live births.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa peaked at 109.1 per 1,000 live births in 1976 and was at its lowest, 31.3 per 1,000 live births, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 51st of 197 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 109.1 per 1,000 live births | — |
| 1977 | 102.7 per 1,000 live births | -5.9% |
| 1978 | 96.7 per 1,000 live births | -5.8% |
| 1979 | 90.9 per 1,000 live births | -6.0% |
| 1980 | 85.8 per 1,000 live births | -5.6% |
| 1981 | 81 per 1,000 live births | -5.6% |
| 1982 | 76.6 per 1,000 live births | -5.4% |
| 1983 | 72.7 per 1,000 live births | -5.1% |
| 1984 | 69.1 per 1,000 live births | -5.0% |
| 1985 | 65.8 per 1,000 live births | -4.8% |
| 1986 | 62.6 per 1,000 live births | -4.9% |
| 1987 | 59.6 per 1,000 live births | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 56.9 per 1,000 live births | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 54.5 per 1,000 live births | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 52.7 per 1,000 live births | -3.3% |
| 1991 | 51.6 per 1,000 live births | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 51.3 per 1,000 live births | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 51.8 per 1,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 53.1 per 1,000 live births | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 54.6 per 1,000 live births | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 56.4 per 1,000 live births | +3.3% |
| 1997 | 58.4 per 1,000 live births | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 61.4 per 1,000 live births | +5.1% |
| 1999 | 64.5 per 1,000 live births | +5.0% |
| 2000 | 67.2 per 1,000 live births | +4.2% |
| 2001 | 70.5 per 1,000 live births | +4.9% |
| 2002 | 72.9 per 1,000 live births | +3.4% |
| 2003 | 75.1 per 1,000 live births | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 76.6 per 1,000 live births | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 75.8 per 1,000 live births | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 73 per 1,000 live births | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 67.5 per 1,000 live births | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 60.2 per 1,000 live births | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 53.4 per 1,000 live births | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 47.1 per 1,000 live births | -11.8% |
| 2011 | 42.5 per 1,000 live births | -9.8% |
| 2012 | 40.1 per 1,000 live births | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 38.5 per 1,000 live births | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 36.9 per 1,000 live births | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 35.4 per 1,000 live births | -4.1% |
| 2016 | 34.1 per 1,000 live births | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 33 per 1,000 live births | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 32.2 per 1,000 live births | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 31.7 per 1,000 live births | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 31.3 per 1,000 live births | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 31.3 per 1,000 live births | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 31.6 per 1,000 live births | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 32.1 per 1,000 live births | +1.6% |
| 2024 | 32.4 per 1,000 live births | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 99.85 per 1,000 live births | 90.9 per 1,000 live births | 109.1 per 1,000 live births | 4 |
| 1980s | 68.46 per 1,000 live births | 54.5 per 1,000 live births | 85.8 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 1990s | 55.58 per 1,000 live births | 51.3 per 1,000 live births | 64.5 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 69.22 per 1,000 live births | 53.4 per 1,000 live births | 76.6 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.15 per 1,000 live births | 31.7 per 1,000 live births | 47.1 per 1,000 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.74 per 1,000 live births | 31.3 per 1,000 live births | 32.4 per 1,000 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate -0.1331 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, per capita 0.0446 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, annual growth rate -0.6047 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0435 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa?
- Mortality rate, under-5, female in South Africa was 32.4 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, under-5, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 109.1 per 1,000 live births in 1976.
- What is the lowest mortality rate, under-5, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.3 per 1,000 live births in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for mortality rate, under-5, female?
- South Africa ranks 51st out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is mortality rate, under-5, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.