Neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Neonatal mortality rate was 2.83 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling
Neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone, 1989–2024
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
In 2024, neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone stood at 2.83 deaths per 100 live births. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 18.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone peaked at 5.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1989 and was at its lowest, 2.83 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.
Sierra Leone ranks 15th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.22 deaths per 100 live births | 5.22 deaths per 100 live births | 5.22 deaths per 100 live births | 1 |
| 1990s | 5.07 deaths per 100 live births | 4.86 deaths per 100 live births | 5.2 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.45 deaths per 100 live births | 4 deaths per 100 live births | 4.8 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.46 deaths per 100 live births | 3.11 deaths per 100 live births | 3.88 deaths per 100 live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.93 deaths per 100 live births | 2.83 deaths per 100 live births | 3.05 deaths per 100 live births | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
- 12 Central African Republic 2.99 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 13 Guinea 2.98 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 14 Lesotho 2.85 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 16 Mali 2.8 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 17 Cote d'Ivoire 2.74 deaths per 100 live births compare
- 18 Benin 2.72 deaths per 100 live births compare
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,199 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,209 deaths (2100)
- Age population, age 12, male, interpolated 105,119 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, male, interpolated 102,689 (2025)
- Age population, age 14, female, interpolated 101,578 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, male, interpolated 104,364 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, female, interpolated 103,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, male, interpolated 105,381 (2025)
- Age population, age 10, male, interpolated 105,792 (2025)
- Age population, age 11, female, interpolated 104,254 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone?
- Neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone was 2.83 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 Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 5.22 deaths per 100 live births in 1989.
- What is the lowest neonatal mortality rate recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.83 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for neonatal mortality rate?
- Sierra Leone ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is neonatal mortality rate rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.5%. 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 Neonatal mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The estimated number of deaths of children aged less than 28 days, per 100 live births .