Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea

South Korea: Number of neonatal deaths was 281 deaths in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
281 deaths
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
122nd
of 199 countries
All-time high
31,807 deaths
in 1952
All-time low
281 deaths
in 2024
Years of data
73
1952–2024

Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea, 1952–2024

010.0k20.0k30.0k195219882024

Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of neonatal deaths in South Korea is 281 deaths, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 73 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 60.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of neonatal deaths in South Korea peaked at 31,807 deaths in 1952 and was at its lowest, 281 deaths, in 2024.

South Korea ranks 122nd of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea, 1952 to 2024.
Year deaths Change
1952 31,807 deaths
1953 31,239 deaths -1.8%
1954 30,642 deaths -1.9%
1955 30,151 deaths -1.6%
1956 29,997 deaths -0.5%
1957 30,294 deaths +1.0%
1958 30,694 deaths +1.3%
1959 31,117 deaths +1.4%
1960 31,336 deaths +0.7%
1961 31,090 deaths -0.8%
1962 30,230 deaths -2.8%
1963 29,271 deaths -3.2%
1964 27,977 deaths -4.4%
1965 26,977 deaths -3.6%
1966 26,209 deaths -2.8%
1967 25,167 deaths -4.0%
1968 24,435 deaths -2.9%
1969 23,924 deaths -2.1%
1970 23,707 deaths -0.9%
1971 22,384 deaths -5.6%
1972 20,927 deaths -6.5%
1973 19,693 deaths -5.9%
1974 18,417 deaths -6.5%
1975 17,278 deaths -6.2%
1976 16,424 deaths -4.9%
1977 15,735 deaths -4.2%
1978 14,611 deaths -7.1%
1979 15,011 deaths +2.7%
1980 14,921 deaths -0.6%
1981 14,661 deaths -1.7%
1982 13,260 deaths -9.6%
1983 11,173 deaths -15.7%
1984 9,296 deaths -16.8%
1985 8,116 deaths -12.7%
1986 7,175 deaths -11.6%
1987 6,426 deaths -10.4%
1988 5,849 deaths -9.0%
1989 5,396 deaths -7.7%
1990 5,086 deaths -5.7%
1991 4,972 deaths -2.2%
1992 4,640 deaths -6.7%
1993 4,119 deaths -11.2%
1994 3,752 deaths -8.9%
1995 3,406 deaths -9.2%
1996 3,060 deaths -10.2%
1997 2,754 deaths -10.0%
1998 2,455 deaths -10.9%
1999 2,225 deaths -9.4%
2000 2,049 deaths -7.9%
2001 1,737 deaths -15.2%
2002 1,474 deaths -15.1%
2003 1,334 deaths -9.5%
2004 1,196 deaths -10.3%
2005 1,042 deaths -12.9%
2006 962 deaths -7.7%
2007 927 deaths -3.6%
2008 843 deaths -9.1%
2009 787 deaths -6.6%
2010 788 deaths +0.1%
2011 787 deaths -0.1%
2012 787 deaths +0.0%
2013 734 deaths -6.7%
2014 711 deaths -3.1%
2015 694 deaths -2.4%
2016 639 deaths -7.9%
2017 558 deaths -12.7%
2018 489 deaths -12.4%
2019 429 deaths -12.3%
2020 373 deaths -13.1%
2021 338 deaths -9.4%
2022 319 deaths -5.6%
2023 284 deaths -11.0%
2024 281 deaths -1.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 30,743 deaths 29,997 deaths 31,807 deaths 8
1960s 27,662 deaths 23,924 deaths 31,336 deaths 10
1970s 18,419 deaths 14,611 deaths 23,707 deaths 10
1980s 9,627 deaths 5,396 deaths 14,921 deaths 10
1990s 3,647 deaths 2,225 deaths 5,086 deaths 10
2000s 1,235 deaths 787 deaths 2,049 deaths 10
2010s 661.6 deaths 429 deaths 788 deaths 10
2020s 319 deaths 281 deaths 373 deaths 5

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 119 Panama 379 deaths compare
  2. 120 Costa Rica 374 deaths compare
  3. 121 Israel 294 deaths compare
  4. 123 United Arab Emirates 255 deaths compare
  5. 124 Guyana 253 deaths compare
  6. 125 Fiji 249 deaths compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of neonatal deaths in South Korea?
Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea was 281 deaths in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of neonatal deaths recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 31,807 deaths in 1952.
What is the lowest number of neonatal deaths recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 281 deaths in 2024.
How does South Korea rank for number of neonatal deaths?
South Korea ranks 122nd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of neonatal deaths rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 60.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of neonatal deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-neonatal-deaths-igme/korea-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-neonatal-deaths-igme/korea-rep/">Number of neonatal deaths in South Korea</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Number of neonatal deaths
Unit
deaths
Source
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 10,164 data points, 1952–2024
Last refreshed

Estimated number of deaths of children aged less than 28 days .