Number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of children who die before age 5 was 312,148 deaths in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
312,148 deaths
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
4th
of 236 countries
All-time high
359,851 deaths
in 1996
All-time low
171,559 deaths
in 1951
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 312,148 deaths for number of children who die before age 5 in 2023.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 359,851 deaths in 1996 and was at its lowest, 171,559 deaths, in 1951.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 4th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 172,265 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 171,559 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1952 | 171,643 deaths | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 172,736 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1954 | 174,346 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 175,920 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 177,835 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 179,782 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1958 | 182,318 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 185,141 deaths | +1.5% |
| 1960 | 188,541 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1961 | 194,639 deaths | +3.2% |
| 1962 | 198,179 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1963 | 201,713 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1964 | 207,175 deaths | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 208,995 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 209,102 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 212,771 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1968 | 216,050 deaths | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 218,944 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 221,469 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 224,029 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1972 | 226,064 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 228,285 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 230,573 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 232,821 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 235,396 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 237,607 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1978 | 241,858 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 244,738 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 249,917 deaths | +2.1% |
| 1981 | 254,560 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 258,791 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 263,370 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 268,481 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 275,498 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 281,563 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 287,237 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 292,512 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 297,328 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 302,032 deaths | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 307,885 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 313,240 deaths | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 320,714 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 328,943 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 342,896 deaths | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 359,851 deaths | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 352,250 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 346,729 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 347,802 deaths | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 349,768 deaths | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 349,566 deaths | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 348,341 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 344,842 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 340,832 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 338,124 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 336,652 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 335,167 deaths | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 334,016 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 332,430 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 330,395 deaths | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 329,332 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 328,637 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 327,141 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 326,118 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 324,595 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 322,955 deaths | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 323,318 deaths | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 322,548 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 322,058 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 317,765 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 315,853 deaths | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 313,252 deaths | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 312,148 deaths | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 176,354 deaths | 171,559 deaths | 185,141 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 205,611 deaths | 188,541 deaths | 218,944 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 232,284 deaths | 221,469 deaths | 244,738 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 272,926 deaths | 249,917 deaths | 297,328 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 332,234 deaths | 302,032 deaths | 359,851 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 340,974 deaths | 332,430 deaths | 349,768 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 325,710 deaths | 322,058 deaths | 330,395 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 314,754 deaths | 312,148 deaths | 317,765 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % 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 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 458 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 61 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 89,100 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Number of children who die before age 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo was 312,148 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 Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 359,851 deaths in 1996.
- What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 171,559 deaths in 1951.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of children who die before age 5?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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.