Number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya
Kenya: Number of children who die before age 5 was 60,947 deaths in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
60,947 deaths
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
22nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
116,631 deaths
in 1998
All-time low
60,947 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2023, number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya stood at 60,947 deaths. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya peaked at 116,631 deaths in 1998 and was at its lowest, 60,947 deaths, in 2023.
That places Kenya 22nd 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 Kenya, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 96,134 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 91,427 deaths | -4.9% |
| 1952 | 88,382 deaths | -3.3% |
| 1953 | 86,511 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1954 | 85,005 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1955 | 83,849 deaths | -1.4% |
| 1956 | 83,011 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1957 | 82,309 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1958 | 81,567 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1959 | 80,749 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1960 | 80,034 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1961 | 79,792 deaths | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 79,898 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 80,293 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 81,002 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 81,937 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1966 | 83,034 deaths | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 83,987 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 84,896 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 85,755 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 86,443 deaths | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 86,981 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 86,969 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 86,604 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 85,981 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1975 | 85,323 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 84,670 deaths | -0.8% |
| 1977 | 83,885 deaths | -0.9% |
| 1978 | 83,086 deaths | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 82,480 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 82,004 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 82,003 deaths | -0.0% |
| 1982 | 82,120 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 82,351 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 83,258 deaths | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 84,752 deaths | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 86,881 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 89,657 deaths | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 92,762 deaths | +3.5% |
| 1989 | 96,361 deaths | +3.9% |
| 1990 | 100,063 deaths | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 103,676 deaths | +3.6% |
| 1992 | 106,874 deaths | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 109,700 deaths | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 111,936 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1995 | 114,149 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 115,559 deaths | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 116,362 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 116,631 deaths | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 115,141 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 113,320 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2001 | 111,121 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 108,181 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 104,437 deaths | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 100,553 deaths | -3.7% |
| 2005 | 96,545 deaths | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 93,038 deaths | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 89,782 deaths | -3.5% |
| 2008 | 86,859 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 83,986 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 81,218 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 78,114 deaths | -3.8% |
| 2012 | 75,134 deaths | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 72,652 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 70,254 deaths | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 68,574 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 66,837 deaths | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 65,539 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2018 | 64,459 deaths | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 63,036 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 69,931 deaths | +10.9% |
| 2021 | 70,259 deaths | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 61,101 deaths | -13.0% |
| 2023 | 60,947 deaths | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 85,894 deaths | 80,749 deaths | 96,134 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 82,063 deaths | 79,792 deaths | 85,755 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 85,242 deaths | 82,480 deaths | 86,981 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 86,215 deaths | 82,003 deaths | 96,361 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 111,009 deaths | 100,063 deaths | 116,631 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 98,782 deaths | 83,986 deaths | 113,320 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 70,582 deaths | 63,036 deaths | 81,218 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 65,560 deaths | 60,947 deaths | 70,259 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
- 19 Uganda 65,931 deaths compare
- 20 Madagascar 64,828 deaths compare
- 21 Cameroon 64,104 deaths compare
- 23 Burkina Faso 55,713 deaths compare
- 24 Yemen 54,401 deaths compare
- 25 Philippines 51,634 deaths compare
More health data for Kenya
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.6026 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,119 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 16,059 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per capita 0.0032 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, annual growth rate 0.9279 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0017 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2024)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya?
- Number of children who die before age 5 in Kenya was 60,947 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 Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 116,631 deaths in 1998.
- What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 60,947 deaths in 2023.
- How does Kenya rank for number of children who die before age 5?
- Kenya ranks 22nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Kenya 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.