Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana

Ghana: Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause was 8,604 in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
8,604
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
24th
of 193 countries
All-time high
10,268
in 2012
All-time low
8,604
in 2021
Years of data
22
2000–2021

Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana, 2000–2021

02.5k5.0k7.5k10.0k2000201020212000: 9.9k2001: 9.8k2002: 9.8k2003: 9.8k2004: 9.9k2005: 10.1k2006: 10.2k2007: 10.1k2008: 10.0k2009: 10.2k2010: 10.2k2011: 10.3k2012: 10.3k2013: 10.2k2014: 10.0k2015: 10.0k2016: 9.7k2017: 9.1k2018: 9.2k2019: 8.9k2020: 8.7k2021: 8.6k

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

Ghana recorded 8,604 for number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 22 years on record.

The figure is down 1.3% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana peaked at 10,268 in 2012 and was at its lowest, 8,604, in 2021.

That places Ghana 24th out of 193 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 22 years of available data.

Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana, year by year

Annual values for Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana, 2000 to 2021.
Year Value Change
2000 9,945
2001 9,839 -1.1%
2002 9,833 -0.1%
2003 9,800 -0.3%
2004 9,903 +1.0%
2005 10,091 +1.9%
2006 10,184 +0.9%
2007 10,068 -1.1%
2008 10,002 -0.6%
2009 10,219 +2.2%
2010 10,239 +0.2%
2011 10,265 +0.3%
2012 10,268 +0.0%
2013 10,207 -0.6%
2014 10,038 -1.7%
2015 10,014 -0.2%
2016 9,717 -3.0%
2017 9,062 -6.7%
2018 9,167 +1.2%
2019 8,944 -2.4%
2020 8,716 -2.5%
2021 8,604 -1.3%

Ghana compared with similar countries

  • Ghana's 8,604 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2,369, 3.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)
  • Ghana's 8,604 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4,634, 1.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9,989 9,800 10,219 10
2010s 9,792 8,944 10,268 10
2020s 8,660 8,604 8,716 2

Countries ranked near Ghana

  1. 21 Somalia 10,164 compare
  2. 22 Cameroon 9,915 compare
  3. 23 Chad 8,676 compare
  4. 25 Madagascar 8,536 compare
  5. 26 Niger 8,289 compare
  6. 27 Burkina Faso 8,122 compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More health data for Ghana

All data for Ghana →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana?
Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana was 8,604 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause recorded in Ghana?
The highest recorded value was 10,268 in 2012.
What is the lowest number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause recorded in Ghana?
The lowest recorded value was 8,604 in 2021.
How does Ghana rank for number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause?
Ghana ranks 24th out of 193 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause rising or falling in Ghana?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Ghana data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause in Ghana. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 14 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-deaths-in-children-aged-5-years-by-cause/ghana/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of deaths in children aged <5 years, by cause
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
202 places, 4,444 data points, 2000–2021
Last refreshed