What is the highest child mortality by income level of country recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 13.23 deaths per 100 live births in 1974.

What is the lowest child mortality by income level of country recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 3.39 deaths per 100 live births in 2020.

How does South Africa rank for child mortality by income level of country?

South Africa ranks 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.

Is child mortality by income level of country rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this South Africa data come from?

The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality by income level of country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Child mortality by income level of country in South Africa

Name: Child mortality by income level of country in South Africa
Creator: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Africa: Child mortality by income level of country was 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)

3.51 deaths per 100 live births

Change on year

up 0.9%

World rank

53rd

of 199 countries

All-time high

13.23 deaths per 100 live births

in 1974

All-time low

3.39 deaths per 100 live births

in 2020

Years of data

1974–2024

Child mortality by income level of country in South Africa, 1974–2024

Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.

Analysis

The most recent figure for child mortality by income level of country in South Africa is 3.51 deaths per 100 live births, measured in 2024.

The figure is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, child mortality by income level of country in South Africa peaked at 13.23 deaths per 100 live births in 1974 and was at its lowest, 3.39 deaths per 100 live births, in 2020.

That places South Africa 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 51 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1970s	11.49 deaths per 100 live births	9.88 deaths per 100 live births	13.23 deaths per 100 live births	6
1980s	7.51 deaths per 100 live births	6.01 deaths per 100 live births	9.35 deaths per 100 live births	10
1990s	6.03 deaths per 100 live births	5.62 deaths per 100 live births	6.87 deaths per 100 live births	10
2000s	7.31 deaths per 100 live births	5.69 deaths per 100 live births	8.07 deaths per 100 live births	10
2010s	4 deaths per 100 live births	3.43 deaths per 100 live births	5.03 deaths per 100 live births	10
2020s	3.44 deaths per 100 live births	3.39 deaths per 100 live births	3.51 deaths per 100 live births	5

Countries ranked near South Africa

50 Senegal 3.65 deaths per 100 live births compare
51 Ghana 3.59 deaths per 100 live births compare
52 Dominica 3.57 deaths per 100 live births compare
54 Eritrea 3.43 deaths per 100 live births compare
55 Botswana 3.33 deaths per 100 live births compare
56 Gabon 3.26 deaths per 100 live births compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for South Africa

Age population, age 16, male, interpolated 547,322 (2025)
Age population, age 19, female, interpolated 534,776 (2025)
Age population, age 18, male, interpolated 548,575 (2025)
Age population, age 18, female, interpolated 543,452 (2025)
Age population, age 17, male, interpolated 548,879 (2025)
Age population, age 17, female, interpolated 544,916 (2025)
Age population, age 07, female, interpolated 547,095 (2025)
Age dependency ratio 48.4% (2025)
Population, female 33.24 million (2025)
Age population, age 06, male, interpolated 570,920 (2025)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is child mortality by income level of country in South Africa?: Child mortality by income level of country in South Africa was 3.51 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest child mortality by income level of country recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 13.23 deaths per 100 live births in 1974.
What is the lowest child mortality by income level of country recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 3.39 deaths per 100 live births in 2020.
How does South Africa rank for child mortality by income level of country?: South Africa ranks 53rd out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is child mortality by income level of country rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?: The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Child mortality by income level of country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Child mortality by income level of country
Unit: deaths per 100 live births
Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 199 places, 13,255 data points, 1931–2024
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

The estimated number of deaths of children aged under five years, per 100 live births .