Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre was 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
0.0237 deaths per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
89th
of 195 countries
All-time high
0.0799 deaths per square kilometre
in 1977
All-time low
0.0237 deaths per square kilometre
in 2021
Years of data
47
1977–2023
Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1977–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in deaths per square kilometre.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre for number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0799 deaths per square kilometre in 1977 and was at its lowest, 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre, in 2021.
That places South Africa 89th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | deaths per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 0.0799 deaths per square kilometre | — |
| 1978 | 0.0761 deaths per square kilometre | -4.8% |
| 1979 | 0.0732 deaths per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 1980 | 0.0707 deaths per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 1981 | 0.0688 deaths per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 1982 | 0.0676 deaths per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 0.0665 deaths per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 0.0653 deaths per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.0639 deaths per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 1986 | 0.062 deaths per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1987 | 0.06 deaths per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1988 | 0.0574 deaths per square kilometre | -4.3% |
| 1989 | 0.0542 deaths per square kilometre | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 0.0506 deaths per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 0.0479 deaths per square kilometre | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 0.046 deaths per square kilometre | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 0.0446 deaths per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 0.0427 deaths per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 1995 | 0.0419 deaths per square kilometre | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 0.0421 deaths per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 0.041 deaths per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1998 | 0.0402 deaths per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0401 deaths per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.0395 deaths per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 0.0392 deaths per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2002 | 0.0393 deaths per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 0.0404 deaths per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 0.0423 deaths per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 0.0431 deaths per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.0429 deaths per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.0418 deaths per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 0.0404 deaths per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 0.0379 deaths per square kilometre | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 0.0345 deaths per square kilometre | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 0.033 deaths per square kilometre | -4.5% |
| 2012 | 0.0322 deaths per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.0314 deaths per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 0.0303 deaths per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 0.0289 deaths per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 0.027 deaths per square kilometre | -6.3% |
| 2017 | 0.0255 deaths per square kilometre | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 0.0246 deaths per square kilometre | -3.5% |
| 2019 | 0.024 deaths per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | -0.1% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0126 deaths per square kilometre, 1.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.0821 deaths per square kilometre, 29% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0764 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0732 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0799 deaths per square kilometre | 3 |
| 1980s | 0.0636 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0542 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0707 deaths per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0437 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0401 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0506 deaths per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0407 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0379 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0431 deaths per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0291 deaths per square kilometre | 0.024 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0345 deaths per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 86 British Virgin Islands 0.0267 deaths per square kilometre compare
- 87 Tonga 0.0264 deaths per square kilometre compare
- 88 Samoa 0.0252 deaths per square kilometre compare
- 90 Central African Republic 0.0222 deaths per square kilometre compare
- 91 Israel 0.0216 deaths per square kilometre compare
- 92 Morocco 0.0216 deaths per square kilometre compare
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest number of infant deaths, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0799 deaths per square kilometre in 1977.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0237 deaths per square kilometre in 2021.
- How does South Africa rank for number of infant deaths, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 89th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of infant deaths, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Number of infant deaths, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Number of infant deaths divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Number of infant deaths ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Number of infant deaths United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Number of infant deaths divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.