Number of child deaths in India
India: Number of child deaths was 615,030 deaths in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
615,030 deaths
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
2nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
4.51 million deaths
in 1972
All-time low
615,030 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
67
1958–2024
Number of child deaths in India, 1958–2024
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 child deaths in India stood at 615,030 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 67 years on record.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 48.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of child deaths in India peaked at 4.51 million deaths in 1972 and was at its lowest, 615,030 deaths, in 2024.
India ranks 2nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 67 years of available data.
Number of child deaths in India, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 4.30 million deaths | — |
| 1959 | 4.31 million deaths | +0.1% |
| 1960 | 4.32 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 4.34 million deaths | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 4.37 million deaths | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 4.40 million deaths | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 4.43 million deaths | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 4.45 million deaths | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 4.47 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 4.48 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 4.49 million deaths | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 4.49 million deaths | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 4.49 million deaths | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 4.50 million deaths | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 4.51 million deaths | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 4.50 million deaths | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 4.49 million deaths | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 4.45 million deaths | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 4.40 million deaths | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 4.34 million deaths | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 4.26 million deaths | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 4.19 million deaths | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 4.14 million deaths | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 4.09 million deaths | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 4.04 million deaths | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 3.99 million deaths | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 3.95 million deaths | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.90 million deaths | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 3.85 million deaths | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 3.78 million deaths | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 3.70 million deaths | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 3.61 million deaths | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 3.52 million deaths | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 3.43 million deaths | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 3.35 million deaths | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 3.26 million deaths | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 3.18 million deaths | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 3.09 million deaths | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 3.00 million deaths | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 2.91 million deaths | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 2.81 million deaths | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 2.71 million deaths | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 2.62 million deaths | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.54 million deaths | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 2.44 million deaths | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 2.33 million deaths | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 2.21 million deaths | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 2.10 million deaths | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 1.98 million deaths | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 1.86 million deaths | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 1.75 million deaths | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 1.66 million deaths | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 1.56 million deaths | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 1.47 million deaths | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.38 million deaths | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 1.28 million deaths | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 1.18 million deaths | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 1.10 million deaths | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 1.04 million deaths | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 967,313 deaths | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 903,511 deaths | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 847,867 deaths | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 785,261 deaths | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 730,705 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 687,978 deaths | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 649,811 deaths | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 615,030 deaths | -5.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 4.31 million deaths | 4.30 million deaths | 4.31 million deaths | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.43 million deaths | 4.32 million deaths | 4.49 million deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.41 million deaths | 4.19 million deaths | 4.51 million deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.90 million deaths | 3.61 million deaths | 4.14 million deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.13 million deaths | 2.71 million deaths | 3.52 million deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.15 million deaths | 1.66 million deaths | 2.62 million deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.17 million deaths | 847,867 deaths | 1.56 million deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 693,757 deaths | 615,030 deaths | 785,261 deaths | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.7713 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.116 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.9514 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1259 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of child deaths in India?
- Number of child deaths in India was 615,030 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.51 million deaths in 1972.
- What is the lowest number of child deaths recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 615,030 deaths in 2024.
- How does India rank for number of child deaths?
- India ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of child deaths rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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 .