What is number of children who die before age 5 in Japan?

Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan was 1,761 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 Japan?

The highest recorded value was 227,780 deaths in 1950.

What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Japan?

The lowest recorded value was 1,761 deaths in 2023.

How does Japan rank for number of children who die before age 5?

Japan ranks 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is down 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this Japan 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.

Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan

Name: Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Japan: Number of children who die before age 5 was 1,761 deaths in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)

1,761 deaths

Change on year

down 5.1%

World rank

98th

of 236 countries

All-time high

227,780 deaths

in 1950

All-time low

1,761 deaths

in 2023

Years of data

1950–2023

Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of children who die before age 5 in Japan is 1,761 deaths, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of down 5.1% on the previous year and down 40.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Japan peaked at 227,780 deaths in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1,761 deaths, in 2023.

That places Japan 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it 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 Japan, year by year

Annual values for Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan, 1950 to 2023.
Year	deaths	Change
1950	227,780 deaths	—
1951	205,691 deaths	-9.7%
1952	162,040 deaths	-21.2%
1953	144,699 deaths	-10.7%
1954	123,899 deaths	-14.4%
1955	102,682 deaths	-17.1%
1956	97,597 deaths	-5.0%
1957	88,791 deaths	-9.0%
1958	80,369 deaths	-9.5%
1959	74,350 deaths	-7.5%
1960	66,974 deaths	-9.9%
1961	60,479 deaths	-9.7%
1962	55,881 deaths	-7.6%
1963	49,827 deaths	-10.8%
1964	46,065 deaths	-7.6%
1965	44,956 deaths	-2.4%
1966	34,279 deaths	-23.7%
1967	40,016 deaths	+16.7%
1968	37,032 deaths	-7.5%
1969	34,530 deaths	-6.8%
1970	33,726 deaths	-2.3%
1971	33,402 deaths	-1.0%
1972	32,649 deaths	-2.3%
1973	32,596 deaths	-0.2%
1974	30,113 deaths	-7.6%
1975	26,407 deaths	-12.3%
1976	23,716 deaths	-10.2%
1977	21,701 deaths	-8.5%
1978	19,908 deaths	-8.3%
1979	17,889 deaths	-10.1%
1980	16,353 deaths	-8.6%
1981	14,900 deaths	-8.9%
1982	13,531 deaths	-9.2%
1983	12,513 deaths	-7.5%
1984	11,847 deaths	-5.3%
1985	10,494 deaths	-11.4%
1986	9,740 deaths	-7.2%
1987	9,016 deaths	-7.4%
1988	8,510 deaths	-5.6%
1989	7,746 deaths	-9.0%
1990	7,681 deaths	-0.8%
1991	7,331 deaths	-4.6%
1992	7,374 deaths	+0.6%
1993	7,041 deaths	-4.5%
1994	7,137 deaths	+1.4%
1995	6,873 deaths	-3.7%
1996	6,295 deaths	-8.4%
1997	6,037 deaths	-4.1%
1998	6,083 deaths	+0.8%
1999	5,569 deaths	-8.4%
2000	5,369 deaths	-3.6%
2001	5,007 deaths	-6.7%
2002	4,776 deaths	-4.6%
2003	4,559 deaths	-4.5%
2004	4,351 deaths	-4.6%
2005	4,162 deaths	-4.3%
2006	4,037 deaths	-3.0%
2007	3,852 deaths	-4.6%
2008	3,793 deaths	-1.5%
2009	3,490 deaths	-8.0%
2010	3,461 deaths	-0.8%
2011	3,672 deaths	+6.1%
2012	3,205 deaths	-12.7%
2013	2,975 deaths	-7.2%
2014	2,901 deaths	-2.5%
2015	2,741 deaths	-5.5%
2016	2,646 deaths	-3.5%
2017	2,444 deaths	-7.6%
2018	2,375 deaths	-2.8%
2019	2,310 deaths	-2.7%
2020	1,994 deaths	-13.7%
2021	1,909 deaths	-4.3%
2022	1,855 deaths	-2.8%
2023	1,761 deaths	-5.1%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	130,790 deaths	74,350 deaths	227,780 deaths	10
1960s	47,004 deaths	34,279 deaths	66,974 deaths	10
1970s	27,211 deaths	17,889 deaths	33,726 deaths	10
1980s	11,465 deaths	7,746 deaths	16,353 deaths	10
1990s	6,742 deaths	5,569 deaths	7,681 deaths	10
2000s	4,340 deaths	3,490 deaths	5,369 deaths	10
2010s	2,873 deaths	2,310 deaths	3,672 deaths	10
2020s	1,880 deaths	1,761 deaths	1,994 deaths	4

Countries ranked near Japan

95 Sri Lanka 2,041 deaths compare
96 Nicaragua 1,946 deaths compare
97 Tunisia 1,826 deaths compare
99 Canada 1,753 deaths compare
100 Lebanon 1,727 deaths compare
101 Ukraine 1,530 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Japan

Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.73 % change on previous year (2100)
Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2774 % change on previous year (2090)
Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,294 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
Number of infants who die before age 1 178 deaths (2100)
Population ages 75-79, female, annual growth rate 5.71 % change on previous year (2025)
Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0384 units per person (2025)
Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 5.61 % change on previous year (2025)
Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0322 units per person (2025)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children who die before age 5 in Japan?: Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan was 1,761 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 Japan?: The highest recorded value was 227,780 deaths in 1950.
What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 1,761 deaths in 2023.
How does Japan rank for number of children who die before age 5?: Japan ranks 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is down 40.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Japan 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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Number of children who die before age 5 in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-child-deaths-unwpp/japan/

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About this data

Indicator: Number of children who die before age 5
Unit: deaths
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 28 August 2026

Number of deaths in a calendar year. This only includes people aged 0-4.