Number of child deaths in China
China: Number of child deaths was 53,968 deaths in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
53,968 deaths
Change on year
down 12.3%
World rank
23rd
of 199 countries
All-time high
2.42 million deaths
in 1974
All-time low
53,968 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
51
1974–2024
Number of child deaths in China, 1974–2024
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
China recorded 53,968 deaths for number of child deaths in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is down 12.3% on the previous year and down 74.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of child deaths in China peaked at 2.42 million deaths in 1974 and was at its lowest, 53,968 deaths, in 2024.
That places China 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of child deaths in China, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 2.42 million deaths | — |
| 1975 | 2.11 million deaths | -12.9% |
| 1976 | 1.84 million deaths | -12.5% |
| 1977 | 1.62 million deaths | -12.0% |
| 1978 | 1.45 million deaths | -10.4% |
| 1979 | 1.37 million deaths | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 1.33 million deaths | -3.4% |
| 1981 | 1.30 million deaths | -2.2% |
| 1982 | 1.31 million deaths | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 1.27 million deaths | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 1.22 million deaths | -3.7% |
| 1985 | 1.26 million deaths | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 1.32 million deaths | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 1.40 million deaths | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 1.42 million deaths | +1.4% |
| 1989 | 1.42 million deaths | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 1.46 million deaths | +2.7% |
| 1991 | 1.35 million deaths | -7.5% |
| 1992 | 1.18 million deaths | -12.8% |
| 1993 | 1.09 million deaths | -7.7% |
| 1994 | 1.01 million deaths | -7.3% |
| 1995 | 931,130 deaths | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 858,611 deaths | -7.8% |
| 1997 | 790,730 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 727,964 deaths | -7.9% |
| 1999 | 670,812 deaths | -7.9% |
| 2000 | 631,120 deaths | -5.9% |
| 2001 | 580,413 deaths | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 519,716 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2003 | 471,288 deaths | -9.3% |
| 2004 | 430,562 deaths | -8.6% |
| 2005 | 395,560 deaths | -8.1% |
| 2006 | 364,627 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2007 | 339,435 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 318,968 deaths | -6.0% |
| 2009 | 300,704 deaths | -5.7% |
| 2010 | 280,045 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 258,715 deaths | -7.6% |
| 2012 | 247,370 deaths | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 231,727 deaths | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 213,316 deaths | -7.9% |
| 2015 | 194,868 deaths | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 179,616 deaths | -7.8% |
| 2017 | 169,149 deaths | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 147,454 deaths | -12.8% |
| 2019 | 125,967 deaths | -14.6% |
| 2020 | 106,403 deaths | -15.5% |
| 2021 | 86,818 deaths | -18.4% |
| 2022 | 72,529 deaths | -16.5% |
| 2023 | 61,522 deaths | -15.2% |
| 2024 | 53,968 deaths | -12.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.80 million deaths | 1.37 million deaths | 2.42 million deaths | 6 |
| 1980s | 1.32 million deaths | 1.22 million deaths | 1.42 million deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.01 million deaths | 670,812 deaths | 1.46 million deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 435,239 deaths | 300,704 deaths | 631,120 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 204,823 deaths | 125,967 deaths | 280,045 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 76,248 deaths | 53,968 deaths | 106,403 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near China
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Frequently asked questions
- What is number of child deaths in China?
- Number of child deaths in China was 53,968 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 child deaths recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 2.42 million deaths in 1974.
- What is the lowest number of child deaths recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 53,968 deaths in 2024.
- How does China rank for number of child deaths?
- China ranks 23rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of child deaths rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 74.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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 child deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated number of deaths of children aged under 5 .