Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Under-five deaths was 2.93 million in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
2.93 million
Change on year
down 1.4%
Rank
1st
of 33 groups
All-time high
4.29 million
in 1998
All-time low
2.93 million
in 2024
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1980–2024
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 2.93 million for under-five deaths in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 6.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 4.29 million in 1998 and was at its lowest, 2.93 million, in 2024.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa 1st out of 33 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3.53 million | — |
| 1981 | 3.59 million | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 3.63 million | +0.9% |
| 1983 | 3.87 million | +6.8% |
| 1984 | 3.88 million | +0.2% |
| 1985 | 3.91 million | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.91 million | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3.81 million | -2.6% |
| 1988 | 4.19 million | +10.0% |
| 1989 | 3.88 million | -7.4% |
| 1990 | 3.93 million | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 4.05 million | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 4.11 million | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 4.16 million | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 4.15 million | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 4.12 million | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 4.24 million | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 4.23 million | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 4.29 million | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 4.14 million | -3.6% |
| 2000 | 4.09 million | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 4.07 million | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 3.95 million | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 3.86 million | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 3.80 million | -1.7% |
| 2005 | 3.64 million | -4.0% |
| 2006 | 3.55 million | -2.6% |
| 2007 | 3.47 million | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 3.40 million | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 3.42 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 3.29 million | -3.6% |
| 2011 | 3.35 million | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 3.19 million | -5.0% |
| 2013 | 3.12 million | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.14 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 3.12 million | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 3.11 million | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 3.12 million | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 3.01 million | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 3.01 million | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 2.97 million | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 3.05 million | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 3.14 million | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 2.97 million | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 2.93 million | -1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 3.82 million | 3.53 million | 4.19 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.14 million | 3.93 million | 4.29 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.73 million | 3.40 million | 4.09 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.15 million | 3.01 million | 3.35 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.01 million | 2.93 million | 3.14 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa
- Population ages 15-64, male, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, annual growth rate 3.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.5639 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate 3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, male, per capita 0.2801 units per person (2025)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, male, per capita 0.4985 units per person (2025)
- Population, male, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa was 2.93 million in 2024, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest under-five deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 4.29 million in 1998.
- What is the lowest under-five deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.93 million in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for under-five deaths?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 1st out of 33 groups with data for 2024.
- Is under-five deaths rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of Under-five deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required).