Number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland
Ireland: Number of children who die before age 5 was 176 deaths in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
176 deaths
Change on year
down 4.3%
World rank
150th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3,647 deaths
in 1951
All-time low
176 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 176 deaths for number of children who die before age 5 in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.3% on the previous year and down 40.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland peaked at 3,647 deaths in 1951 and was at its lowest, 176 deaths, in 2023.
Ireland ranks 150th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3,536 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 3,647 deaths | +3.1% |
| 1952 | 3,335 deaths | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 3,055 deaths | -8.4% |
| 1954 | 2,875 deaths | -5.9% |
| 1955 | 2,646 deaths | -8.0% |
| 1956 | 2,549 deaths | -3.7% |
| 1957 | 2,374 deaths | -6.9% |
| 1958 | 2,396 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 2,248 deaths | -6.2% |
| 1960 | 2,074 deaths | -7.7% |
| 1961 | 2,088 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 2,047 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 1,901 deaths | -7.1% |
| 1964 | 1,939 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1965 | 1,797 deaths | -7.3% |
| 1966 | 1,746 deaths | -2.8% |
| 1967 | 1,666 deaths | -4.6% |
| 1968 | 1,464 deaths | -12.1% |
| 1969 | 1,507 deaths | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 1,461 deaths | -3.1% |
| 1971 | 1,423 deaths | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 1,435 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 1,438 deaths | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 1,423 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 1,377 deaths | -3.2% |
| 1976 | 1,228 deaths | -10.8% |
| 1977 | 1,259 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 1,235 deaths | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 1,122 deaths | -9.1% |
| 1980 | 1,008 deaths | -10.2% |
| 1981 | 907 deaths | -10.0% |
| 1982 | 915 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 826 deaths | -9.7% |
| 1984 | 722 deaths | -12.6% |
| 1985 | 670 deaths | -7.2% |
| 1986 | 651 deaths | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 559 deaths | -14.1% |
| 1988 | 589 deaths | +5.4% |
| 1989 | 527 deaths | -10.5% |
| 1990 | 525 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 473 deaths | -9.9% |
| 1992 | 395 deaths | -16.5% |
| 1993 | 365 deaths | -7.6% |
| 1994 | 341 deaths | -6.6% |
| 1995 | 370 deaths | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 371 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 384 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1998 | 378 deaths | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 390 deaths | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 383 deaths | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 420 deaths | +9.7% |
| 2002 | 376 deaths | -10.5% |
| 2003 | 376 deaths | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 333 deaths | -11.4% |
| 2005 | 286 deaths | -14.1% |
| 2006 | 297 deaths | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 290 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2008 | 343 deaths | +18.3% |
| 2009 | 311 deaths | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 324 deaths | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 297 deaths | -8.3% |
| 2012 | 281 deaths | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 294 deaths | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 267 deaths | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 262 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 227 deaths | -13.4% |
| 2017 | 217 deaths | -4.4% |
| 2018 | 196 deaths | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 216 deaths | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 186 deaths | -13.9% |
| 2021 | 212 deaths | +14.0% |
| 2022 | 184 deaths | -13.2% |
| 2023 | 176 deaths | -4.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2,866 deaths | 2,248 deaths | 3,647 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,823 deaths | 1,464 deaths | 2,088 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,340 deaths | 1,122 deaths | 1,461 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 737.4 deaths | 527 deaths | 1,008 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 399.2 deaths | 341 deaths | 525 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 341.5 deaths | 286 deaths | 420 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 258.1 deaths | 196 deaths | 324 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 189.5 deaths | 176 deaths | 212 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More health data for Ireland
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -4.76 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.89 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,122 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 20 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 65-69, male, annual growth rate 2.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65-69, male, per capita 0.0238 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, annual growth rate 3.22 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 70-74, female, per capita 0.021 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland?
- Number of children who die before age 5 in Ireland was 176 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 3,647 deaths in 1951.
- What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 176 deaths in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for number of children who die before age 5?
- Ireland ranks 150th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of deaths in a calendar year. This only includes people aged 0-4.