Number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Number of children who die before age 5 was 81,376 deaths in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
81,376 deaths
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
13th
of 236 countries
All-time high
184,170 deaths
in 1979
All-time low
81,376 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 81,376 deaths for number of children who die before age 5 in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.9% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan peaked at 184,170 deaths in 1979 and was at its lowest, 81,376 deaths, in 2023.
That places Afghanistan 13th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 160,791 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 158,566 deaths | -1.4% |
| 1952 | 157,832 deaths | -0.5% |
| 1953 | 157,554 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 157,723 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1955 | 157,176 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 157,394 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 157,366 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1958 | 157,487 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 157,501 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 158,051 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 158,683 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1962 | 159,573 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 160,751 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 161,777 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1965 | 162,936 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 164,292 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 165,607 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 166,988 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 168,367 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1970 | 169,510 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 170,827 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1972 | 171,860 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1973 | 172,834 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 174,046 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 174,736 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1976 | 175,058 deaths | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 174,740 deaths | -0.2% |
| 1978 | 179,081 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 184,170 deaths | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 178,239 deaths | -3.2% |
| 1981 | 164,640 deaths | -7.6% |
| 1982 | 151,468 deaths | -8.0% |
| 1983 | 144,494 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1984 | 162,620 deaths | +12.5% |
| 1985 | 164,799 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 140,432 deaths | -14.8% |
| 1987 | 137,365 deaths | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 122,582 deaths | -10.8% |
| 1989 | 120,993 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 121,800 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 118,844 deaths | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 117,021 deaths | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 119,742 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 129,025 deaths | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 132,958 deaths | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 133,605 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 135,474 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 137,791 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 134,213 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 133,112 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 125,627 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 123,215 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 123,894 deaths | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 122,315 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 118,420 deaths | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 116,622 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 112,800 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2008 | 106,511 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 106,480 deaths | -0.0% |
| 2010 | 104,547 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 101,679 deaths | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 101,123 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 99,706 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 99,854 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 100,282 deaths | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 97,785 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 90,851 deaths | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 89,077 deaths | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 88,750 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 88,718 deaths | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 88,173 deaths | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 83,784 deaths | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 81,376 deaths | -2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 157,939 deaths | 157,176 deaths | 160,791 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 162,702 deaths | 158,051 deaths | 168,367 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 174,686 deaths | 169,510 deaths | 184,170 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 148,763 deaths | 120,993 deaths | 178,239 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 128,047 deaths | 117,021 deaths | 137,791 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 118,900 deaths | 106,480 deaths | 133,112 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 97,365 deaths | 88,750 deaths | 104,547 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 85,513 deaths | 81,376 deaths | 88,718 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More health data for Afghanistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.45 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 812.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 14,735 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate 4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per capita 0.0081 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, annual growth rate 4.78 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per capita 0.0067 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan?
- Number of children who die before age 5 in Afghanistan was 81,376 deaths in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 184,170 deaths in 1979.
- What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 81,376 deaths in 2023.
- How does Afghanistan rank for number of children who die before age 5?
- Afghanistan ranks 13th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children who die before age 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of deaths in a calendar year. This only includes people aged 0-4.