Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana
Ghana: Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths was 16,118 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
16,118 deaths
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
31st
of 199 countries
All-time high
27,970 deaths
in 1984
All-time low
16,118 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
59
1966–2024
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana, 1966–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Ghana recorded 16,118 deaths for number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 59 years on record.
The figure is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 27.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana peaked at 27,970 deaths in 1984 and was at its lowest, 16,118 deaths, in 2024.
That places Ghana 31st out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 59 years of available data.
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 23,476 deaths | — |
| 1967 | 23,986 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 24,455 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 25,092 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 25,520 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 25,833 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 25,991 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 26,089 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 26,096 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 26,044 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 25,978 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 26,096 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 26,323 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 26,730 deaths | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 27,215 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 27,505 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1982 | 27,646 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 27,827 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1984 | 27,970 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 27,759 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 27,532 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1987 | 27,214 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 26,734 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 26,358 deaths | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 26,172 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1991 | 25,947 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 25,706 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 25,514 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 25,111 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 24,814 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 24,381 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1997 | 24,340 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 24,336 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 24,467 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 24,768 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 24,701 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 24,592 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 24,481 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 24,376 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 24,736 deaths | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 24,661 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 24,432 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 24,281 deaths | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 24,189 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 24,134 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 23,908 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 23,533 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 23,036 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 22,275 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 21,694 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 20,763 deaths | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 19,623 deaths | -5.5% |
| 2018 | 18,942 deaths | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 18,325 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 17,796 deaths | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 17,349 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 16,930 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 16,603 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 16,118 deaths | -2.9% |
Ghana compared with similar countries
- Ghana's 16,118 deaths is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5,153 deaths, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Ghana's 16,118 deaths is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13,437 deaths, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24,252 deaths | 23,476 deaths | 25,092 deaths | 4 |
| 1970s | 26,070 deaths | 25,520 deaths | 26,730 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 27,376 deaths | 26,358 deaths | 27,970 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 25,079 deaths | 24,336 deaths | 26,172 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 24,522 deaths | 24,189 deaths | 24,768 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,623 deaths | 18,325 deaths | 24,134 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,959 deaths | 16,118 deaths | 17,796 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ghana
More health data for Ghana
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.37 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6224 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 8,361 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5623 % 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 0.06 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.5816 % 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 0.0619 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana?
- Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Ghana was 16,118 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of neonatal, infant and child deaths recorded in Ghana?
- The highest recorded value was 27,970 deaths in 1984.
- What is the lowest number of neonatal, infant and child deaths recorded in Ghana?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,118 deaths in 2024.
- How does Ghana rank for number of neonatal, infant and child deaths?
- Ghana ranks 31st out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths rising or falling in Ghana?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ghana 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 Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged less than 28 days .