What is preterm birth in UN_Africa?

Preterm birth in UN_Africa was 4.44 million in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

What is the highest preterm birth recorded in UN_Africa?

The highest recorded value was 4.44 million in 2020.

What is the lowest preterm birth recorded in UN_Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 3.82 million in 2010.

How does UN_Africa rank for preterm birth?

UN_Africa ranks 4th out of 17 groups with data for 2020.

Is preterm birth rising or falling in UN_Africa?

Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this UN_Africa data come from?

The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Preterm birth (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Preterm birth in UN_Africa

Name: Preterm birth in UN_Africa
Creator: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)

UN_Africa: Preterm birth was 4.44 million in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)

4.44 million

Change on year

up 1.2%

Rank

4th

of 17 groups

All-time high

4.44 million

in 2020

All-time low

3.82 million

in 2010

Years of data

2010–2020

Preterm birth in UN_Africa, 2010–2020

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

In 2020, preterm birth in UN_Africa stood at 4.44 million. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, preterm birth in UN_Africa peaked at 4.44 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.82 million, in 2010.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
2010s	4.11 million	3.82 million	4.38 million	10
2020s	4.44 million	4.44 million	4.44 million	1

Countries ranked near UN_Africa

1 India 3.02 million compare
2 Pakistan 913,988 compare
3 Nigeria 774,061 compare
4 China 752,855 compare
5 Ethiopia 495,880 compare
6 Bangladesh 488,608 compare
7 Democratic Republic of Congo 487,473 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More health data for UN_Africa

Preterm birth rate 9.91 (2020)

All data for UN_Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is preterm birth in UN_Africa?: Preterm birth in UN_Africa was 4.44 million in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest preterm birth recorded in UN_Africa?: The highest recorded value was 4.44 million in 2020.
What is the lowest preterm birth recorded in UN_Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 3.82 million in 2010.
How does UN_Africa rank for preterm birth?: UN_Africa ranks 4th out of 17 groups with data for 2020.
Is preterm birth rising or falling in UN_Africa?: Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this UN_Africa data come from?: The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Preterm birth (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

About this data

Indicator: Preterm birth (number)
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage: 120 places, 1,320 data points, 2010–2020
Last refreshed: 11 August 2026