Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa

South Africa: Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre was 0.0339 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.0339 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 1.4%
World rank
83rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
0.0745 units per square kilometre
in 1981
All-time low
0.0327 units per square kilometre
in 2020
Years of data
43
1981–2023

Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1981–2023

00.020.040.060.081981200220231981: 0.074 units per square kilometre1982: 0.073 units per square kilometre1983: 0.072 units per square kilometre1984: 0.071 units per square kilometre1985: 0.069 units per square kilometre1986: 0.068 units per square kilometre1987: 0.065 units per square kilometre1988: 0.063 units per square kilometre1989: 0.06 units per square kilometre1990: 0.057 units per square kilometre1991: 0.055 units per square kilometre1992: 0.054 units per square kilometre1993: 0.054 units per square kilometre1994: 0.053 units per square kilometre1995: 0.054 units per square kilometre1996: 0.056 units per square kilometre1997: 0.057 units per square kilometre1998: 0.059 units per square kilometre1999: 0.061 units per square kilometre2000: 0.062 units per square kilometre2001: 0.063 units per square kilometre2002: 0.065 units per square kilometre2003: 0.067 units per square kilometre2004: 0.069 units per square kilometre2005: 0.07 units per square kilometre2006: 0.07 units per square kilometre2007: 0.066 units per square kilometre2008: 0.061 units per square kilometre2009: 0.055 units per square kilometre2010: 0.048 units per square kilometre2011: 0.044 units per square kilometre2012: 0.042 units per square kilometre2013: 0.04 units per square kilometre2014: 0.039 units per square kilometre2015: 0.038 units per square kilometre2016: 0.036 units per square kilometre2017: 0.034 units per square kilometre2018: 0.033 units per square kilometre2019: 0.033 units per square kilometre2020: 0.033 units per square kilometre2021: 0.033 units per square kilometre2022: 0.033 units per square kilometre2023: 0.034 units per square kilometre

Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.0339 units per square kilometre for number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in 2023.

That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and down 16.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 0.0745 units per square kilometre in 1981 and was at its lowest, 0.0327 units per square kilometre, in 2020.

South Africa ranks 83rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 43 years of available data.

Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1981 to 2023.
Year units per square kilometre Change
1981 0.0745 units per square kilometre
1982 0.0731 units per square kilometre -1.9%
1983 0.072 units per square kilometre -1.6%
1984 0.0708 units per square kilometre -1.6%
1985 0.0694 units per square kilometre -1.9%
1986 0.0675 units per square kilometre -2.8%
1987 0.0655 units per square kilometre -3.0%
1988 0.063 units per square kilometre -3.8%
1989 0.0599 units per square kilometre -4.9%
1990 0.0567 units per square kilometre -5.3%
1991 0.0546 units per square kilometre -3.7%
1992 0.0536 units per square kilometre -1.9%
1993 0.0535 units per square kilometre -0.1%
1994 0.0533 units per square kilometre -0.5%
1995 0.0543 units per square kilometre +2.0%
1996 0.0565 units per square kilometre +4.0%
1997 0.0573 units per square kilometre +1.5%
1998 0.0589 units per square kilometre +2.8%
1999 0.0609 units per square kilometre +3.3%
2000 0.062 units per square kilometre +1.9%
2001 0.0634 units per square kilometre +2.2%
2002 0.0647 units per square kilometre +2.1%
2003 0.0667 units per square kilometre +3.0%
2004 0.0692 units per square kilometre +3.8%
2005 0.0702 units per square kilometre +1.4%
2006 0.0695 units per square kilometre -0.9%
2007 0.066 units per square kilometre -5.1%
2008 0.0612 units per square kilometre -7.2%
2009 0.0554 units per square kilometre -9.5%
2010 0.0482 units per square kilometre -13.0%
2011 0.0437 units per square kilometre -9.4%
2012 0.0417 units per square kilometre -4.6%
2013 0.0404 units per square kilometre -3.1%
2014 0.0391 units per square kilometre -3.3%
2015 0.0375 units per square kilometre -3.9%
2016 0.0357 units per square kilometre -4.9%
2017 0.0342 units per square kilometre -4.2%
2018 0.0334 units per square kilometre -2.3%
2019 0.033 units per square kilometre -1.2%
2020 0.0327 units per square kilometre -0.9%
2021 0.0329 units per square kilometre +0.8%
2022 0.0334 units per square kilometre +1.4%
2023 0.0339 units per square kilometre +1.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0684 units per square kilometre 0.0599 units per square kilometre 0.0745 units per square kilometre 9
1990s 0.056 units per square kilometre 0.0533 units per square kilometre 0.0609 units per square kilometre 10
2000s 0.0648 units per square kilometre 0.0554 units per square kilometre 0.0702 units per square kilometre 10
2010s 0.0387 units per square kilometre 0.033 units per square kilometre 0.0482 units per square kilometre 10
2020s 0.0332 units per square kilometre 0.0327 units per square kilometre 0.0339 units per square kilometre 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 80 Jordan 0.0353 units per square kilometre compare
  2. 81 Dominica 0.0347 units per square kilometre compare
  3. 82 Saint Kitts and Nevis 0.0346 units per square kilometre compare
  4. 84 Tonga 0.0333 units per square kilometre compare
  5. 85 Central African Republic 0.0323 units per square kilometre compare
  6. 86 Honduras 0.0321 units per square kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More health data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa?
Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa was 0.0339 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 0.0745 units per square kilometre in 1981.
What is the lowest number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0327 units per square kilometre in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre?
South Africa ranks 83rd out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 16.1%. 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 under-five deaths, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-under-five-deaths-per-square-kilometre/south-africa/

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How this figure is calculated

Number of under-five 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 under-five deaths ÷ Land area (sq. km)

Computed from

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

Indicator
Number of under-five deaths, per square kilometre
Unit
units per square kilometre
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
195 places, 10,428 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

Number of under-five 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.