Number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Number of under-five deaths was 1.53 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central, 1990–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central is 1.53 million, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central peaked at 1.90 million in 1997 and was at its lowest, 1.53 million, in 2024.
Africa Western and Central ranks 15th of 47 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.78 million | — |
| 1991 | 1.80 million | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 1.82 million | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 1.84 million | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 1.86 million | +1.1% |
| 1995 | 1.88 million | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.89 million | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 1.90 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.89 million | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 1.88 million | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 1.87 million | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 1.86 million | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 1.83 million | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 1.81 million | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 1.79 million | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.77 million | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.75 million | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 1.73 million | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 1.71 million | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 1.79 million | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 1.70 million | -5.0% |
| 2011 | 1.69 million | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 1.68 million | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.67 million | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.68 million | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 1.66 million | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 1.64 million | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.64 million | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.61 million | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 1.63 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 1.58 million | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 1.58 million | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 1.64 million | +3.7% |
| 2023 | 1.54 million | -5.8% |
| 2024 | 1.53 million | -0.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.85 million | 1.78 million | 1.90 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.79 million | 1.71 million | 1.87 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.66 million | 1.61 million | 1.70 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.58 million | 1.53 million | 1.64 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
- 12 Chad 78,958 compare
- 13 Somalia 78,271 compare
- 14 Afghanistan 77,768 compare
- 15 Mozambique 74,215 compare
- 16 Mali 68,264 compare
- 17 Angola 67,003 compare
- 18 Côte d'Ivoire 63,784 compare
More health data for Africa Western and Central
- Population ages 80 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per capita 0.0027 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, annual growth rate 2.06 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, male, per capita 0.0023 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, female, annual growth rate 2.82 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 80 and above, male, per capita 0.0015 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 75-79, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central?
- Number of under-five deaths in Africa Western and Central was 1.53 million in 2024, according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest number of under-five deaths recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 1.90 million in 1997.
- What is the lowest number of under-five deaths recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.53 million in 2024.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for number of under-five deaths?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 15th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is number of under-five deaths rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central 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 under-five deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of children dying before reaching age five.