Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths was 7,350 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone, 1990–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2024, number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone stood at 7,350 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone peaked at 10,430 deaths in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7,350 deaths, in 2024.
That places Sierra Leone 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,912 deaths | — |
| 1991 | 10,430 deaths | +5.2% |
| 1992 | 10,098 deaths | -3.2% |
| 1993 | 10,020 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 9,976 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 9,922 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 9,818 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1997 | 9,792 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 9,786 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 9,678 deaths | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 9,554 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 9,749 deaths | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 10,225 deaths | +4.9% |
| 2003 | 10,317 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 10,278 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 10,257 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 10,233 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 10,025 deaths | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 9,857 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 9,651 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 9,436 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 9,254 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 9,036 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 8,734 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 8,495 deaths | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 8,290 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 8,148 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 8,077 deaths | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 7,995 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 7,878 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 7,755 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2021 | 7,644 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 7,546 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 7,455 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2024 | 7,350 deaths | -1.4% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 7,350 deaths is below the median for low income countries, which is 17,516 deaths, 42% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 7,350 deaths is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13,437 deaths, 55% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,943 deaths | 9,678 deaths | 10,430 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,015 deaths | 9,554 deaths | 10,317 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 8,534 deaths | 7,878 deaths | 9,436 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,550 deaths | 7,350 deaths | 7,755 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 0.0676 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone?
- Number of neonatal, infant and child deaths in Sierra Leone was 7,350 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 10,430 deaths in 1991.
- What is the lowest number of neonatal, infant and child deaths recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 7,350 deaths in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for number of neonatal, infant and child deaths?
- Sierra Leone ranks 47th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of neonatal, infant and child deaths rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 .