Number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho
Lesotho: Number of children who die before age 5 was 4,009 deaths in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4,009 deaths
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
75th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7,317 deaths
in 1976
All-time low
4,009 deaths
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
Lesotho recorded 4,009 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 2.4% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho peaked at 7,317 deaths in 1976 and was at its lowest, 4,009 deaths, in 2023.
That places Lesotho 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6,656 deaths | — |
| 1951 | 6,281 deaths | -5.6% |
| 1952 | 6,120 deaths | -2.6% |
| 1953 | 6,014 deaths | -1.7% |
| 1954 | 5,939 deaths | -1.2% |
| 1955 | 5,895 deaths | -0.7% |
| 1956 | 5,874 deaths | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 5,878 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 5,905 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 5,957 deaths | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 6,039 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 6,154 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1962 | 6,289 deaths | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 6,433 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1964 | 6,581 deaths | +2.3% |
| 1965 | 6,738 deaths | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 6,875 deaths | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 7,004 deaths | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 7,076 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1969 | 7,125 deaths | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 7,161 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 7,191 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 7,211 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1973 | 7,217 deaths | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 7,251 deaths | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 7,296 deaths | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 7,317 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1977 | 7,275 deaths | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 7,177 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 7,037 deaths | -2.0% |
| 1980 | 6,860 deaths | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 6,666 deaths | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 6,475 deaths | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 6,293 deaths | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 6,122 deaths | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 5,976 deaths | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 5,848 deaths | -2.1% |
| 1987 | 5,869 deaths | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 5,761 deaths | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 5,626 deaths | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 5,541 deaths | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 5,471 deaths | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 5,466 deaths | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 5,481 deaths | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 5,538 deaths | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 5,678 deaths | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 5,869 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 6,070 deaths | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 6,155 deaths | +1.4% |
| 1999 | 6,205 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 6,252 deaths | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 6,368 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 6,526 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 6,590 deaths | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 6,523 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 6,398 deaths | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 6,246 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 6,165 deaths | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 6,022 deaths | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 5,763 deaths | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 5,497 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 5,419 deaths | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 5,288 deaths | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 5,171 deaths | -2.2% |
| 2014 | 5,060 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 4,975 deaths | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 4,900 deaths | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 4,799 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 4,674 deaths | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 4,530 deaths | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 4,435 deaths | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 4,230 deaths | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 4,106 deaths | -2.9% |
| 2023 | 4,009 deaths | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6,052 deaths | 5,874 deaths | 6,656 deaths | 10 |
| 1960s | 6,631 deaths | 6,039 deaths | 7,125 deaths | 10 |
| 1970s | 7,213 deaths | 7,037 deaths | 7,317 deaths | 10 |
| 1980s | 6,150 deaths | 5,626 deaths | 6,860 deaths | 10 |
| 1990s | 5,747 deaths | 5,466 deaths | 6,205 deaths | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,285 deaths | 5,763 deaths | 6,590 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 5,031 deaths | 4,530 deaths | 5,497 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 4,195 deaths | 4,009 deaths | 4,435 deaths | 4 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
- 72 Thailand 4,873 deaths compare
- 73 Guinea-Bissau 4,452 deaths compare
- 74 Libya 4,191 deaths compare
- 76 Kazakhstan 3,941 deaths compare
- 77 Equatorial Guinea 3,843 deaths compare
- 78 Palestine, State of 3,821 deaths compare
More health data for Lesotho
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.05 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4669 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,227 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 382 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -0.1593 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1694 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -0.0688 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.1716 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho?
- Number of children who die before age 5 in Lesotho was 4,009 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 7,317 deaths in 1976.
- What is the lowest number of children who die before age 5 recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,009 deaths in 2023.
- How does Lesotho rank for number of children who die before age 5?
- Lesotho ranks 75th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children who die before age 5 rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Lesotho 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.