Number of under-five deaths in India
India: Number of under-five deaths was 615,030 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
615,030
Change on year
down 5.4%
World rank
2nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
4.51 million
in 1972
All-time low
615,030
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Number of under-five deaths in India, 1960–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
In 2024, number of under-five deaths in India stood at 615,030. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 5.4% on the previous year and down 48.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of under-five deaths in India peaked at 4.51 million in 1972 and was at its lowest, 615,030, in 2024.
India ranks 2nd of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Number of under-five deaths in India, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4.32 million | — |
| 1961 | 4.34 million | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 4.37 million | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 4.40 million | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 4.43 million | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 4.45 million | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 4.47 million | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 4.48 million | +0.3% |
| 1968 | 4.49 million | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 4.49 million | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 4.49 million | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 4.50 million | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 4.51 million | +0.1% |
| 1973 | 4.50 million | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 4.49 million | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 4.45 million | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 4.40 million | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 4.34 million | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 4.26 million | -1.9% |
| 1979 | 4.19 million | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 4.14 million | -1.2% |
| 1981 | 4.09 million | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 4.04 million | -1.4% |
| 1983 | 3.99 million | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 3.95 million | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 3.90 million | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 3.85 million | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 3.78 million | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 3.70 million | -2.2% |
| 1989 | 3.61 million | -2.2% |
| 1990 | 3.52 million | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 3.43 million | -2.5% |
| 1992 | 3.35 million | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 3.26 million | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 3.18 million | -2.6% |
| 1995 | 3.09 million | -2.7% |
| 1996 | 3.00 million | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 2.91 million | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 2.81 million | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 2.71 million | -3.4% |
| 2000 | 2.62 million | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 2.54 million | -3.2% |
| 2002 | 2.44 million | -3.9% |
| 2003 | 2.33 million | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 2.21 million | -4.9% |
| 2005 | 2.10 million | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 1.98 million | -5.8% |
| 2007 | 1.86 million | -5.9% |
| 2008 | 1.75 million | -5.7% |
| 2009 | 1.66 million | -5.4% |
| 2010 | 1.56 million | -5.8% |
| 2011 | 1.47 million | -6.2% |
| 2012 | 1.38 million | -6.2% |
| 2013 | 1.28 million | -6.6% |
| 2014 | 1.18 million | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 1.10 million | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 1.04 million | -5.6% |
| 2017 | 967,313 | -6.8% |
| 2018 | 903,511 | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 847,867 | -6.2% |
| 2020 | 785,261 | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 730,705 | -6.9% |
| 2022 | 687,978 | -5.8% |
| 2023 | 649,811 | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 615,030 | -5.4% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 615,030 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,859, 62.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 615,030 is above the median for South Asia, which is 8,078, 76.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.43 million | 4.32 million | 4.49 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.41 million | 4.19 million | 4.51 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.90 million | 3.61 million | 4.14 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.13 million | 2.71 million | 3.52 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.15 million | 1.66 million | 2.62 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.17 million | 847,867 | 1.56 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 693,757 | 615,030 | 785,261 | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of under-five deaths in India?
- Number of under-five deaths in India was 615,030 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 4.51 million in 1972.
- What is the lowest number of under-five deaths recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 615,030 in 2024.
- How does India rank for number of under-five deaths?
- India ranks 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of under-five deaths rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.