Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho
Lesotho: Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths was 1,582 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1,582 deaths
Change on year
down 2.3%
World rank
87th
of 199 countries
All-time high
2,662 deaths
in 1976
All-time low
1,582 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
70
1955–2024
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho, 1955–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 1,582 deaths for number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 70 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.3% on the previous year and down 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho peaked at 2,662 deaths in 1976 and was at its lowest, 1,582 deaths, in 2024.
Lesotho ranks 87th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 70 years of available data.
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 1,868 deaths | — |
| 1956 | 1,895 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1957 | 1,926 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 1,965 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 2,011 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 2,064 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1961 | 2,125 deaths | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 2,189 deaths | +3.0% |
| 1963 | 2,252 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 2,317 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 2,384 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 2,440 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 2,491 deaths | +2.1% |
| 1968 | 2,519 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 2,539 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 2,555 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 2,576 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 2,596 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 2,607 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 2,638 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 2,659 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 2,662 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 2,634 deaths | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 2,588 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 2,533 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1980 | 2,474 deaths | -2.3% |
| 1981 | 2,429 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 2,402 deaths | -1.1% |
| 1983 | 2,389 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 2,386 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 2,396 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 2,412 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 2,511 deaths | +4.1% |
| 1988 | 2,502 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 2,484 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 2,456 deaths | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 2,434 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 2,399 deaths | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 2,337 deaths | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 2,287 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1995 | 2,263 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1996 | 2,256 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 2,236 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 2,157 deaths | -3.5% |
| 1999 | 2,102 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 2,100 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 2,155 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 2,221 deaths | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 2,228 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 2,186 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 2,159 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 2,151 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 2,204 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 2,202 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 2,162 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 2,128 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 2,187 deaths | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 2,171 deaths | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 2,167 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 2,126 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 2,095 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 2,064 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 2,000 deaths | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 1,917 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2019 | 1,837 deaths | -4.2% |
| 2020 | 1,766 deaths | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 1,702 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2022 | 1,654 deaths | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 1,620 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2024 | 1,582 deaths | -2.3% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 1,582 deaths is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5,153 deaths, 31% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 1,582 deaths is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13,437 deaths, 12% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1,933 deaths | 1,868 deaths | 2,011 deaths | 5 |
| 1960s | 2,332 deaths | 2,064 deaths | 2,539 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 2,605 deaths | 2,533 deaths | 2,662 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,438 deaths | 2,386 deaths | 2,511 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 2,293 deaths | 2,102 deaths | 2,456 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 2,177 deaths | 2,100 deaths | 2,228 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,069 deaths | 1,837 deaths | 2,187 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,665 deaths | 1,582 deaths | 1,766 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 84 Saudi Arabia 1,603 deaths compare
- 85 Kazakhstan 1,586 deaths compare
- 86 Eritrea 1,584 deaths compare
- 88 Azerbaijan 1,509 deaths compare
- 89 Equatorial Guinea 1,490 deaths compare
- 90 Palestine 1,294 deaths compare
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2020)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.8108 % 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 0.0548 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7473 % 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 0.0557 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho?
- Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Lesotho was 1,582 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 2,662 deaths in 1976.
- What is the lowest number of neonatal, infant and child deaths recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,582 deaths in 2024.
- How does Lesotho rank for number of neonatal, infant and child deaths?
- Lesotho ranks 87th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged less than 28 days .