Under-five deaths in World

World: Under-five deaths was 4.86 million in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.86 million
Change on year
down 2.6%
Rank
1st
of 1 groups
All-time high
14.43 million
in 1980
All-time low
4.86 million
in 2024
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Under-five deaths in World, 1980–2024

4.0M6.0M8.0M10.0M12.0M14.0M1980200220241980: 14.4M1981: 14.3M1982: 14.2M1983: 14.2M1984: 14.0M1985: 13.9M1986: 13.7M1987: 13.5M1988: 13.6M1989: 13.1M1990: 13.0M1991: 12.7M1992: 12.4M1993: 12.1M1994: 11.8M1995: 11.5M1996: 11.3M1997: 11.0M1998: 10.8M1999: 10.4M2000: 10.1M2001: 9.8M2002: 9.4M2003: 9.0M2004: 8.8M2005: 8.3M2006: 8.0M2007: 7.7M2008: 7.5M2009: 7.4M2010: 7.1M2011: 7.0M2012: 6.6M2013: 6.4M2014: 6.3M2015: 6.1M2016: 5.9M2017: 5.8M2018: 5.6M2019: 5.4M2020: 5.3M2021: 5.2M2022: 5.2M2023: 5.0M2024: 4.9M

Source: UNICEF.

Analysis

In 2024, under-five deaths in World stood at 4.86 million. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.6% on the previous year and down 22.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, under-five deaths in World peaked at 14.43 million in 1980 and was at its lowest, 4.86 million, in 2024.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Under-five deaths in World, year by year

Annual values for Under-five deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024) in World, 1980 to 2024.
Year Value Change
1980 14.43 million
1981 14.30 million -0.9%
1982 14.21 million -0.6%
1983 14.21 million -0.0%
1984 14.02 million -1.3%
1985 13.91 million -0.8%
1986 13.73 million -1.2%
1987 13.49 million -1.8%
1988 13.64 million +1.1%
1989 13.12 million -3.9%
1990 12.97 million -1.1%
1991 12.74 million -1.8%
1992 12.39 million -2.8%
1993 12.11 million -2.2%
1994 11.81 million -2.5%
1995 11.51 million -2.5%
1996 11.32 million -1.6%
1997 11.01 million -2.7%
1998 10.80 million -2.0%
1999 10.36 million -4.0%
2000 10.06 million -2.9%
2001 9.79 million -2.7%
2002 9.40 million -4.0%
2003 9.03 million -3.9%
2004 8.75 million -3.1%
2005 8.33 million -4.8%
2006 8.02 million -3.8%
2007 7.75 million -3.4%
2008 7.53 million -2.8%
2009 7.35 million -2.3%
2010 7.08 million -3.7%
2011 6.95 million -1.7%
2012 6.64 million -4.5%
2013 6.42 million -3.3%
2014 6.27 million -2.4%
2015 6.10 million -2.7%
2016 5.95 million -2.5%
2017 5.81 million -2.3%
2018 5.57 million -4.1%
2019 5.43 million -2.4%
2020 5.26 million -3.2%
2021 5.23 million -0.6%
2022 5.22 million -0.1%
2023 4.99 million -4.5%
2024 4.86 million -2.6%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 13.91 million 13.12 million 14.43 million 10
1990s 11.70 million 10.36 million 12.97 million 10
2000s 8.60 million 7.35 million 10.06 million 10
2010s 6.22 million 5.43 million 7.08 million 10
2020s 5.11 million 4.86 million 5.26 million 5

Countries ranked near World

  1. 1 Nigeria 855,676 compare
  2. 2 India 615,030 compare
  3. 3 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 385,039 compare
  4. 4 Pakistan 381,586 compare

See the full ranking of 235 places →

More health data for World

All data for World →

Frequently asked questions

What is under-five deaths in World?
Under-five deaths in World was 4.86 million in 2024, according to UNICEF.
What is the highest under-five deaths recorded in World?
The highest recorded value was 14.43 million in 1980.
What is the lowest under-five deaths recorded in World?
The lowest recorded value was 4.86 million in 2024.
How does World rank for under-five deaths?
World ranks 1st out of 1 groups with data for 2024.
Is under-five deaths rising or falling in World?
Over the last ten years it is down 22.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this World 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.

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Under-five deaths in World. Statizoid, drawing on UNICEF. Retrieved 11 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/under-five-deaths-un-igme-estimate-2024/world/

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About this data

Indicator
Under-five deaths (UN IGME estimate, 2024)
Source
UNICEF
Licence
UNICEF Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
235 places, 13,599 data points, 1955–2024
Last refreshed