Number of under-five deaths in South Africa
South Africa: Number of under-five deaths was 41,435 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
41,435
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
28th
of 196 countries
All-time high
90,360
in 1981
All-time low
39,661
in 2020
Years of data
44
1981–2024
Number of under-five deaths in South Africa, 1981–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
South Africa recorded 41,435 for number of under-five deaths in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of under-five deaths in South Africa peaked at 90,360 in 1981 and was at its lowest, 39,661, in 2020.
South Africa ranks 28th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 44 years of available data.
Number of under-five deaths in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 90,360 | — |
| 1982 | 88,682 | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 87,293 | -1.6% |
| 1984 | 85,865 | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 84,215 | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 81,886 | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 79,437 | -3.0% |
| 1988 | 76,389 | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 72,627 | -4.9% |
| 1990 | 68,764 | -5.3% |
| 1991 | 66,224 | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 64,984 | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 64,936 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 64,608 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 65,881 | +2.0% |
| 1996 | 68,509 | +4.0% |
| 1997 | 69,566 | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 71,486 | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 73,839 | +3.3% |
| 2000 | 75,213 | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 76,901 | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 78,496 | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 80,882 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 83,971 | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 85,153 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 84,359 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 80,029 | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 74,275 | -7.2% |
| 2009 | 67,219 | -9.5% |
| 2010 | 58,485 | -13.0% |
| 2011 | 53,006 | -9.4% |
| 2012 | 50,579 | -4.6% |
| 2013 | 49,022 | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 47,383 | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 45,526 | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 43,279 | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 41,472 | -4.2% |
| 2018 | 40,508 | -2.3% |
| 2019 | 40,007 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 39,661 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 39,970 | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 40,533 | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 41,107 | +1.4% |
| 2024 | 41,435 | +0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 82,973 | 72,627 | 90,360 | 9 |
| 1990s | 67,880 | 64,608 | 73,839 | 10 |
| 2000s | 78,650 | 67,219 | 85,153 | 10 |
| 2010s | 46,927 | 40,007 | 58,485 | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,541 | 39,661 | 41,435 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 22 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 314 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2,778 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of under-five deaths in South Africa?
- Number of under-five deaths in South Africa was 41,435 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 90,360 in 1981.
- What is the lowest number of under-five deaths recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 39,661 in 2020.
- How does South Africa rank for number of under-five deaths?
- South Africa ranks 28th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of under-five deaths rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South 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 under-five deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 44 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Number of children dying before reaching age five.