Number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Number of infant deaths was 1.96 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.96 million
Change on year
down 0.9%
Rank
7th
of 47 groups
All-time high
2.55 million
in 1998
All-time low
1.95 million
in 2020
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 1.96 million for number of infant deaths in 2024.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 2.55 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 1.95 million, in 2020.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2.30 million | — |
| 1991 | 2.36 million | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 2.40 million | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 2.43 million | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 2.44 million | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 2.44 million | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 2.51 million | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 2.52 million | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 2.55 million | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 2.49 million | -2.6% |
| 2000 | 2.47 million | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 2.47 million | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 2.40 million | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 2.36 million | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.32 million | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 2.25 million | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 2.20 million | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 2.17 million | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 2.13 million | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 2.14 million | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 2.09 million | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 2.13 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 2.04 million | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 2.01 million | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 2.02 million | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 2.02 million | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 2.01 million | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.01 million | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 1.97 million | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 1.97 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.95 million | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 2.01 million | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 2.06 million | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 1.98 million | -3.6% |
| 2024 | 1.96 million | -0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.44 million | 2.30 million | 2.55 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.29 million | 2.13 million | 2.47 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.03 million | 1.97 million | 2.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.99 million | 1.95 million | 2.06 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
- 4 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 247,025 compare
- 5 Ethiopia 141,578 compare
- 6 Bangladesh 84,684 compare
- 7 Niger 71,909 compare
- 8 Sudan 71,271 compare
- 9 Afghanistan 70,975 compare
- 10 Indonesia 67,732 compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, annual growth rate 3.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Number of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.96 million in 2024, according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest number of infant deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.55 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.95 million in 2020.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for number of infant deaths?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 7th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is number of infant deaths rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Number of infant deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.