What is neonatal mortality rate in Malawi?

Neonatal mortality rate in Malawi was 2.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Malawi?

The highest recorded value was 7 deaths per 100 live births in 1969.

What is the lowest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Malawi?

The lowest recorded value was 2.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.

How does Malawi rank for neonatal mortality rate?

Malawi ranks 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.

Is neonatal mortality rate rising or falling in Malawi?

Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Malawi 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 Neonatal mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Neonatal mortality rate in Malawi

Name: Neonatal mortality rate in Malawi
Creator: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Malawi: Neonatal mortality rate was 2.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)

2.36 deaths per 100 live births

Change on year

down 0.7%

World rank

28th

of 199 countries

All-time high

7 deaths per 100 live births

in 1969

All-time low

2.36 deaths per 100 live births

in 2024

Years of data

1969–2024

Neonatal mortality rate in Malawi, 1969–2024

Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.

Analysis

Malawi recorded 2.36 deaths per 100 live births for neonatal mortality rate in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 56 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, neonatal mortality rate in Malawi peaked at 7 deaths per 100 live births in 1969 and was at its lowest, 2.36 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.

That places Malawi 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	7 deaths per 100 live births	7 deaths per 100 live births	7 deaths per 100 live births	1
1970s	6.35 deaths per 100 live births	5.76 deaths per 100 live births	6.93 deaths per 100 live births	10
1980s	5.38 deaths per 100 live births	5.09 deaths per 100 live births	5.67 deaths per 100 live births	10
1990s	4.5 deaths per 100 live births	3.99 deaths per 100 live births	4.98 deaths per 100 live births	10
2000s	3.13 deaths per 100 live births	2.73 deaths per 100 live births	3.79 deaths per 100 live births	10
2010s	2.46 deaths per 100 live births	2.38 deaths per 100 live births	2.67 deaths per 100 live births	10
2020s	2.38 deaths per 100 live births	2.36 deaths per 100 live births	2.39 deaths per 100 live births	5

Countries ranked near Malawi

25 Burkina Faso 2.38 deaths per 100 live births compare
26 Sudan 2.37 deaths per 100 live births compare
27 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.36 deaths per 100 live births compare
29 Madagascar 2.31 deaths per 100 live births compare
30 Gambia 2.3 deaths per 100 live births compare
31 Haiti 2.26 deaths per 100 live births compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for Malawi

Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 856.3 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
Number of infants who die before age 1 6,399 deaths (2100)
Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
Age population, age 25, male, interpolated 193,780 (2025)
Age population, age 25, female, interpolated 198,476 (2025)
Age population, age 24, male, interpolated 200,046 (2025)
Age population, age 24, female, interpolated 204,753 (2025)
Age population, age 23, male, interpolated 207,829 (2025)
Age population, age 23, female, interpolated 212,512 (2025)

All data for Malawi →

Frequently asked questions

What is neonatal mortality rate in Malawi?: Neonatal mortality rate in Malawi was 2.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Malawi?: The highest recorded value was 7 deaths per 100 live births in 1969.
What is the lowest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Malawi?: The lowest recorded value was 2.36 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
How does Malawi rank for neonatal mortality rate?: Malawi ranks 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is neonatal mortality rate rising or falling in Malawi?: Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Malawi 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 Neonatal mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Neonatal mortality rate
Unit: deaths per 100 live births
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 199 places, 10,377 data points, 1951–2024
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The estimated number of deaths of children aged less than 28 days, per 100 live births .