Number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: Number of under-five deaths was 31,802 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
31,802
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
35th
of 197 countries
All-time high
42,357
in 2009
All-time low
26,298
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe, 1960–2024
Source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Analysis
Zimbabwe recorded 31,802 for number of under-five deaths in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe peaked at 42,357 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 26,298, in 1960.
That places Zimbabwe 35th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 26,298 | — |
| 1961 | 26,476 | +0.7% |
| 1962 | 26,606 | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 26,677 | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 26,691 | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 26,626 | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 26,585 | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 26,567 | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 26,720 | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 27,069 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 27,520 | +1.7% |
| 1971 | 28,067 | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 28,843 | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 29,864 | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 31,061 | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 32,360 | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 33,599 | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 34,717 | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 35,758 | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 36,379 | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 36,571 | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 37,001 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 36,844 | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 35,516 | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 33,859 | -4.7% |
| 1985 | 32,080 | -5.3% |
| 1986 | 30,581 | -4.7% |
| 1987 | 29,538 | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 28,974 | -1.9% |
| 1989 | 29,174 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 30,151 | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 31,654 | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 33,397 | +5.5% |
| 1993 | 34,962 | +4.7% |
| 1994 | 36,347 | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 36,616 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 38,233 | +4.4% |
| 1997 | 36,413 | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 36,294 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 38,798 | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 40,153 | +3.5% |
| 2001 | 40,123 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 40,055 | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 40,004 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 40,255 | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 40,612 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 38,761 | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 40,455 | +4.4% |
| 2008 | 41,619 | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 42,357 | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 41,493 | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 38,631 | -6.9% |
| 2012 | 34,729 | -10.1% |
| 2013 | 32,162 | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 30,262 | -5.9% |
| 2015 | 29,187 | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 27,618 | -5.4% |
| 2017 | 26,747 | -3.2% |
| 2018 | 26,347 | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 27,534 | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 29,228 | +6.2% |
| 2021 | 29,951 | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 31,207 | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 31,538 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 31,802 | +0.8% |
Zimbabwe compared with similar countries
- Zimbabwe's 31,802 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 9,859, 3.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Zimbabwe's 31,802 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31,761, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26,632 | 26,298 | 27,069 | 10 |
| 1970s | 31,817 | 27,520 | 36,379 | 10 |
| 1980s | 33,014 | 28,974 | 37,001 | 10 |
| 1990s | 35,286 | 30,151 | 38,798 | 10 |
| 2000s | 40,439 | 38,761 | 42,357 | 10 |
| 2010s | 31,471 | 26,347 | 41,493 | 10 |
| 2020s | 30,745 | 29,228 | 31,802 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Zimbabwe
More health data for Zimbabwe
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.39 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.11 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,457 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9632 % 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 0.0689 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9673 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0701 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe?
- Number of under-five deaths in Zimbabwe was 31,802 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 Zimbabwe?
- The highest recorded value was 42,357 in 2009.
- What is the lowest number of under-five deaths recorded in Zimbabwe?
- The lowest recorded value was 26,298 in 1960.
- How does Zimbabwe rank for number of under-five deaths?
- Zimbabwe ranks 35th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of under-five deaths rising or falling in Zimbabwe?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zimbabwe 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.