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Number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa

South Africa: Number of infants who die before age 1 was 33,080 deaths in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
33,080 deaths
Change on year
down 8.8%
World rank
27th
of 236 countries
All-time high
76,415 deaths
in 1972
All-time low
25,776 deaths
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa, 1950–2023

20.0k40.0k60.0k80.0k195019862023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa is 33,080 deaths, measured in 2023.

The figure is down 8.8% on the previous year and down 6.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa peaked at 76,415 deaths in 1972 and was at its lowest, 25,776 deaths, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 27th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa, year by year

Year deaths Change
1950 73,819 deaths —
1951 73,037 deaths -1.1%
1952 72,501 deaths -0.7%
1953 71,704 deaths -1.1%
1954 70,622 deaths -1.5%
1955 69,441 deaths -1.7%
1956 68,175 deaths -1.8%
1957 67,001 deaths -1.7%
1958 66,091 deaths -1.4%
1959 65,251 deaths -1.3%
1960 64,829 deaths -0.6%
1961 65,042 deaths +0.3%
1962 65,738 deaths +1.1%
1963 66,779 deaths +1.6%
1964 67,898 deaths +1.7%
1965 69,045 deaths +1.7%
1966 70,957 deaths +2.8%
1967 72,586 deaths +2.3%
1968 73,816 deaths +1.7%
1969 74,926 deaths +1.5%
1970 75,602 deaths +0.9%
1971 76,237 deaths +0.8%
1972 76,415 deaths +0.2%
1973 76,245 deaths -0.2%
1974 75,518 deaths -1.0%
1975 74,534 deaths -1.3%
1976 73,367 deaths -1.6%
1977 71,870 deaths -2.0%
1978 70,542 deaths -1.8%
1979 69,658 deaths -1.3%
1980 68,765 deaths -1.3%
1981 68,634 deaths -0.2%
1982 68,699 deaths +0.1%
1983 68,111 deaths -0.9%
1984 67,504 deaths -0.9%
1985 66,256 deaths -1.8%
1986 65,086 deaths -1.8%
1987 64,078 deaths -1.5%
1988 61,566 deaths -3.9%
1989 59,114 deaths -4.0%
1990 56,102 deaths -5.1%
1991 54,594 deaths -2.7%
1992 53,216 deaths -2.5%
1993 53,112 deaths -0.2%
1994 50,595 deaths -4.7%
1995 53,030 deaths +4.8%
1996 53,708 deaths +1.3%
1997 53,589 deaths -0.2%
1998 53,598 deaths +0.0%
1999 54,390 deaths +1.5%
2000 46,996 deaths -13.6%
2001 47,944 deaths +2.0%
2002 52,282 deaths +9.0%
2003 55,186 deaths +5.6%
2004 55,005 deaths -0.3%
2005 57,932 deaths +5.3%
2006 57,110 deaths -1.4%
2007 56,301 deaths -1.4%
2008 55,725 deaths -1.0%
2009 47,304 deaths -15.1%
2010 41,191 deaths -12.9%
2011 33,306 deaths -19.1%
2012 32,772 deaths -1.6%
2013 35,468 deaths +8.2%
2014 35,220 deaths -0.7%
2015 33,407 deaths -5.1%
2016 30,491 deaths -8.7%
2017 27,447 deaths -10.0%
2018 30,342 deaths +10.5%
2019 32,673 deaths +7.7%
2020 25,776 deaths -21.1%
2021 32,998 deaths +28.0%
2022 36,275 deaths +9.9%
2023 33,080 deaths -8.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 69,764 deaths 65,251 deaths 73,819 deaths 10
1960s 69,162 deaths 64,829 deaths 74,926 deaths 10
1970s 73,999 deaths 69,658 deaths 76,415 deaths 10
1980s 65,781 deaths 59,114 deaths 68,765 deaths 10
1990s 53,593 deaths 50,595 deaths 56,102 deaths 10
2000s 53,178 deaths 46,996 deaths 57,932 deaths 10
2010s 33,232 deaths 27,447 deaths 41,191 deaths 10
2020s 32,032 deaths 25,776 deaths 36,275 deaths 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 24 Philippines 38,087 deaths compare
  2. 25 Burkina Faso 38,057 deaths compare
  3. 26 Egypt 34,963 deaths compare
  4. 28 Guinea 31,850 deaths compare
  5. 29 Brazil 31,406 deaths compare
  6. 30 Myanmar 28,751 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa?
Number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa was 33,080 deaths in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of infants who die before age 1 recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 76,415 deaths in 1972.
What is the lowest number of infants who die before age 1 recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 25,776 deaths in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for number of infants who die before age 1?
South Africa ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of infants who die before age 1 rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of infants who die before age 1. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of infants who die before age 1 in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 08 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-infant-deaths-unwpp/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of infants who die before age 1
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

Number of deaths in a calendar year. This only includes people at birth.