This statistic shows the 20 countries* with the highest infant mortality rate in 2024. An estimated 101.3 infants per 1,000 live births died in the first year of life in Afghanistan in 2024. Infant and child mortality Infant mortality usually refers to the death of children younger than one year. Child mortality, which is often used synonymously with infant mortality, is the death of children younger than five. Among the main causes are pneumonia, diarrhea – which causes dehydration – and infections in newborns, with malnutrition also posing a severe problem. As can be seen above, most countries with a high infant mortality rate are developing countries or emerging countries, most of which are located in Africa. Good health care and hygiene are crucial in reducing child mortality; among the countries with the lowest infant mortality rate are exclusively developed countries, whose inhabitants usually have access to clean water and comprehensive health care. Access to vaccinations, antibiotics and a balanced nutrition also help reducing child mortality in these regions. In some countries, infants are killed if they turn out to be of a certain gender. India, for example, is known as a country where a lot of girls are aborted or killed right after birth, as they are considered to be too expensive for poorer families, who traditionally have to pay a costly dowry on the girl’s wedding day. Interestingly, the global mortality rate among boys is higher than that for girls, which could be due to the fact that more male infants are actually born than female ones. Other theories include a stronger immune system in girls, or more premature births among boys.

This statistic shows the 20 countries * with the lowest infant mortality rate in 2024. An estimated 1.5 out of 1,000 live births died in the first year of life in Slovenia and Singapore in 2024. Infant mortality Infant mortality rates are often used as an indicator of the health and well-being of a nation. Monaco, Iceland, and Japan are among the top three countries with the lowest infant mortality rates with around 2 infant deaths per 1,000 infants within their first year of life. Generally, the countries with the lowest infant mortality also have some of the highest average life expectancy figures. Additionally, the countries with the highest density of physicians and doctors also generally report low infant mortality. Yet, many different factors contribute to differing rates, including the overall income of a country, health spending per capita, a mother’s level of education, environmental conditions, and medical infrastructure, to name a few. This creates a lot of variation concerning the level of childbirth and infant care around the world. The countries with the highest rates of infant mortality include Afghanistan, Mali, and Somalia. These countries experience around 100 infant deaths per 1,000 infants in their first year of life. While the reasons for high rates of infant mortality are numerous, the leading causes of death for children under the year five around the world are Pneumonia, Diarrhea, and Prematurity.

In 2023, the state of Mississippi had the highest infant mortality rate in the United States, with around 8.94 deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality is the death of an infant before the age of one. The countries with the lowest infant mortality rates worldwide are Slovenia, Singapore, and Iceland. The countries with the highest infant mortality rates include Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. Infant mortality in the United States The infant mortality rate in the United States has decreased over the past few decades, reaching a low of 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. The most common causes of infant death in the United States are congenital malformations, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome. In 2023, congenital malformations accounted for around 111 infant deaths per 100,000 live births.

The average for 2022 based on 187 countries was 25 deaths per 1000 births. The highest value was in Niger: 117 deaths per 1000 births and the lowest value was in Estonia: 2 deaths per 1000 births. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Maternal mortality rates can vary significantly around the world. For example, in 2022, Estonia had a maternal mortality rate of zero per 100,000 live births, while Mexico reported a rate of 38 deaths per 100,000 live births. However, the regions with the highest number of maternal deaths are Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia, with differences between countries and regions often reflecting inequalities in health care services and access. Most causes of maternal mortality are preventable and treatable with the most common causes including severe bleeding, infections, complications during delivery, high blood pressure during pregnancy, and unsafe abortion. Maternal mortality in the United States In 2022, there were a total of 817 maternal deaths in the United States. Women aged 25 to 39 years accounted for 578 of these deaths, however, rates of maternal mortality are much higher among women aged 40 years and older. In 2022, the rate of maternal mortality among women aged 40 years and older in the U.S. was 87 per 100,000 live births, compared to a rate of 21 among women aged 25 to 39 years. The rate of maternal mortality in the U.S. has risen in recent years among all age groups. Differences in maternal mortality in the U.S. by race/ethnicity Sadly, there are great disparities in maternal mortality in the United States among different races and ethnicities. In 2022, the rate of maternal mortality among non-Hispanic white women was about 19 per 100,000 live births, while non-Hispanic Black women died from maternal causes at a rate of almost 50 per 100,000 live births. Rates of maternal mortality have risen for white and Hispanic women in recent years, but Black women have by far seen the largest increase in maternal mortality. In 2022, around 253 Black women died from maternal causes in the United States.

The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 18.19 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 45.42 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

UNICEF's country profile for Bangladesh, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean (SPDYNIMRTINLAC) from 1990 to 2023 about Caribbean Economies, Latin America, mortality, infant, and rate.

This dataset presents the number of neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births, using data from the UNICEF Data Warehouse. Neonatal mortality refers to the death of a baby within the first 28 days of life and is a critical indicator of newborn health and health system performance. Monitoring this rate supports efforts to improve the quality of care around birth and during the early postnatal period, and to reduce preventable newborn deaths through timely, skilled interventions.Data Source:UNICEF Data Warehouse: https://data.unicef.org/resources/data_explorer/unicef_f/?ag=UNICEF&df=GLOBAL_DATAFLOW&ver=1.0&dq=.CME_MRM0.&startPeriod=1990&endPeriod=2024Data Dictionary: The data is collated with the following columns:Column headingContent of this columnPossible valuesRefNumerical counter for each row of data, for ease of identification1+CountryShort name for the country195 countries in total – all 194 WHO member states plus PalestineISO3Three-digit alphabetical codes International Standard ISO 3166-1 assigned by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). e.g. AFG (Afghanistan)ISO22 letter identifier code for the countrye.g. AF (Afghanistan)ICM_regionICM Region for countryAFR (Africa), AMR (Americas), EMR (Eastern Mediterranean), EUR (Europe), SEAR (South east Asia) or WPR (Western Pacific)CodeUnique project code for each indicator:GGTXXnnnGG=data group e.g. OU for outcomeT = N for novice or E for ExpertXX = identifier number 00 to 30nnn = identifier name eg mmre.g. OUN01sbafor Outcome Novice Indicator 01 skilled birth attendance Short_nameIndicator namee.g. maternal mortality ratioDescriptionText description of the indicator to be used on websitee.g. Maternal mortality ratio (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)Value_typeDescribes the indicator typeNumeric: decimal numberPercentage: value between 0 & 100Text: value from list of text optionsY/N: yes or noValue_categoryExpect this to be ‘total’ for all indicators for Phase 1, but this could allow future disaggregation, e.g. male/female; urban/ruraltotalYearThe year that the indicator value was reported. For most indicators, we will only report if 2014 or more recente.g. 2020Latest_Value‘LATEST’ if this is the most recent reported value for the indicator since 2014, otherwise ‘No’. Useful for indicators with time trend data.LATEST or NOValueIndicator valuee.g. 99.8. NB Some indicators are calculated to several decimal places. We present the value to the number of decimal places that should be displayed on the Hub.SourceFor Caesarean birth rate [OUN13cbr] ONLY, this column indicates the source of the data, either OECD when reported, or UNICEF otherwise.OECD or UNICEFTargetHow does the latest value compare with Global guidelines / targets?meets targetdoes not meet targetmeets global standarddoes not meet global standardRankGlobal rank for indicator, i.e. the country with the best global score for this indicator will have rank = 1, next = 2, etc. This ranking is only appropriate for a few indicators, others will show ‘na’1-195Rank out ofThe total number of countries who have reported a value for this indicator. Ranking scores will only go as high as this number.Up to 195TrendIf historic data is available, an indication of the change over time. If there is a global target, then the trend is either getting better, static or getting worse. For mmr [OUN04mmr] and nmr [OUN05nmr] the average annual rate of reduction (arr) between 2016 and latest value is used to determine the trend:arr <-1.0 = getting worsearr >=-1.0 AND <=1.0 = staticarr >1.0 = getting betterFor other indicators, the trend is estimated by comparing the average of the last three years with the average ten years ago:decreasing if now < 95% 10 yrs agoincreasing if now > 105% 10 yrs agostatic otherwiseincreasingdecreasing Or, if there is a global target: getting better,static,getting worseNotesClarification comments, when necessary LongitudeFor use with mapping LatitudeFor use with mapping DateDate data uploaded to the Hubthe following codes are also possible values:not reported does not apply don’t knowThis is one of many datasets featured on the Midwives’ Data Hub, a digital platform designed to strengthen midwifery and advocate for better maternal and newborn health services.

UNICEF's country profile for Pakistan, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

The average for 2021 based on 19 countries was 15 deaths per 1000 live births. The highest value was in Haiti: 45 deaths per 1000 live births and the lowest value was in Chile: 6 deaths per 1000 live births. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Niger had the highest birth rate in the world in 2024, with a birth rate of 46.6 births per 1,000 inhabitants. Angola, Benin, Mali, and Uganda followed. Except for Afghanistan, all 20 countries with the highest birth rates in the world were located in Sub-Saharan Africa. High infant mortality The reasons behind the high birth rates in many Sub-Saharan African countries are manyfold, but a major reason is that infant mortality remains high on the continent, despite decreasing steadily over the past decades, resulting in high birth rates to counter death rates. Moreover, many nations in Sub-Saharan Africa are highly reliant on small-scale farming, meaning that more hands are of importance. Additionally, polygamy is not uncommon in the region, and having many children is often seen as a symbol of status. Fastest-growing populations As the high fertility rates coincide with decreasing death rates, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest population growth rates in the world. As a result, Africa's population is forecast to increase from 1.4 billion in 2022 to over 3.9 billion by 2100.

Rank, number of deaths, percentage of deaths, and mortality rates for the leading causes of infant death (under one year of age), by sex, 2000 to most recent year.

UNICEF's country profile for Ethiopia, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

UNICEF's country profile for Nigeria, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

UNICEF's country profile for Somalia, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

List of East African countries included in analysis.

【リソース】Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - Natality_1_Delayed registrations of live births, by sex and year of birth:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - General mortality_1_Delayed registrations of deaths, by sex and year of death:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_1_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father and mother / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_2_Live births by sex, month of occurrence and nationality of mother / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_3_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_4_Live births by nationality of mother, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - Natality_5_Live births, mean age of mother, by nationality and age of mother / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_1_Deaths by sex, month of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_2_Deaths by sex, place of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_3_Deaths by nationality, each prefecture and 21 major cities / Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_4_Deaths by sex, age and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - Infant mortality_1_Infant deaths (under 1 year) by sex, month of occurrence and nationality / Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_1_Foetal deaths by month of occurrence, sex and nationality of mother / Foreigners in Japan - Foetal mortality_2_Foetal deaths by type of extraction, age of mother and period of gestation / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_1_Marriages by nationality of bride and groom / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_2_Mean ages, marriages and their percent distribution, of bride and groom (for first marriages and remarriages performed and registered in 2013) / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_3_Divorces and their percent distribution, by legal type / Foreigners in Japan - Marriages and divorces_4_Divorces by nationality of wife and husband / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_1_Live births, deaths and infant deaths (under 1 year), by sex and month of occurrence / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_2_Mean ages, marriages and their percent distribution, of bride and groom (for first marriages and remarriages performed and registered in 2013) / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_3_Divorces and their percent distribution, by legal type / Japanese in foreign countries - natality,general mortality,infant mortality,marriages and divorces_4_Deaths by sex and age / Delayed registrations for foreigners in Japan_1_Live births, deaths, infant deaths (under 1 year) and foetal deaths, by sex, year of occurrence and nationality_(1) Live births and deaths / Delayed registrations for foreigners in Japan_1_Live births, deaths, infant deaths (under 1 year) and foetal deaths, by sex, year of occurrence and nationality_(2) Infant deaths and foetal deaths / Delayed registrations for Japanese in foreign countries_1_Live births, deaths and infant deaths (under 1 year), by sex and year of occurrence / Foreigners in Japan, Japanese in foreign countries (Causes of death)_1_Deaths of foreigners in Japan, nationality and of Japanese in foreign countries, by sex and causes (the condensed list of causes of death for Japan) / Foreigners in Japan, Japanese in foreign countries (Causes of death)_2_Infant deaths (under 1 year) of foreigners in Japan, nationality and of Japanese in foreign countries, by sex and causes (the list of causes of infant death) / Vital Statistics_Vital statistics of Japan_Final data_Other_Yearly_2013 / Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - Natality_1_Delayed registrations of live births, by sex and year of birth:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Delayed registrations for Japanese in Japan - General mortality_1_Delayed registrations of deaths, by sex and year of death:Japan, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_1_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father and mother,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_2_Live births by sex, month of occurrence and nationality of mother,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_3_Live births born in wedlock by nationality of father, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_4_Live births by nationality of mother, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigners in Japan - Natality_5_Live births, mean age of mother, by nationality and age of mother,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_1_Deaths by sex, month of occurrence and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_2_Deaths by sex, place of occurrence and nationality,Foreigners in Japan - General mortality_3_Deaths by nationality, each prefecture and 21 major cities,Foreigner

This dataset presents the estimated percentage of babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed, by country. Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Understanding national rates supports efforts to improve antenatal care, timely interventions, and newborn outcomes. These estimates are adapted from Liang et al. (2024), based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021, and provide a globally comparable measure of preterm birth burden.Data Source:The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(24)00419-X/fulltext Data Dictionary: The data is collated with the following columns:Column headingContent of this columnPossible valuesRefNumerical counter for each row of data, for ease of identification1+CountryShort name for the country195 countries in total – all 194 WHO member states plus PalestineISO3Three-digit alphabetical codes International Standard ISO 3166-1 assigned by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). e.g. AFG (Afghanistan)ISO22 letter identifier code for the countrye.g. AF (Afghanistan)ICM_regionICM Region for countryAFR (Africa), AMR (Americas), EMR (Eastern Mediterranean), EUR (Europe), SEAR (South east Asia) or WPR (Western Pacific)CodeUnique project code for each indicator:GGTXXnnnGG=data group e.g. OU for outcomeT = N for novice or E for ExpertXX = identifier number 00 to 30nnn = identifier name eg mmre.g. OUN01sbafor Outcome Novice Indicator 01 skilled birth attendance Short_nameIndicator namee.g. maternal mortality ratioDescriptionText description of the indicator to be used on websitee.g. Maternal mortality ratio (maternal deaths per 100,000 live births)Value_typeDescribes the indicator typeNumeric: decimal numberPercentage: value between 0 & 100Text: value from list of text optionsY/N: yes or noValue_categoryExpect this to be ‘total’ for all indicators for Phase 1, but this could allow future disaggregation, e.g. male/female; urban/ruraltotalYearThe year that the indicator value was reported. For most indicators, we will only report if 2014 or more recente.g. 2020Latest_Value‘LATEST’ if this is the most recent reported value for the indicator since 2014, otherwise ‘No’. Useful for indicators with time trend data.LATEST or NOValueIndicator valuee.g. 99.8. NB Some indicators are calculated to several decimal places. We present the value to the number of decimal places that should be displayed on the Hub.SourceFor Caesarean birth rate [OUN13cbr] ONLY, this column indicates the source of the data, either OECD when reported, or UNICEF otherwise.OECD or UNICEFTargetHow does the latest value compare with Global guidelines / targets?meets targetdoes not meet targetmeets global standarddoes not meet global standardRankGlobal rank for indicator, i.e. the country with the best global score for this indicator will have rank = 1, next = 2, etc. This ranking is only appropriate for a few indicators, others will show ‘na’1-195Rank out ofThe total number of countries who have reported a value for this indicator. Ranking scores will only go as high as this number.Up to 195TrendIf historic data is available, an indication of the change over time. If there is a global target, then the trend is either getting better, static or getting worse. For mmr [OUN04mmr] and nmr [OUN05nmr] the average annual rate of reduction (arr) between 2016 and latest value is used to determine the trend:arr <-1.0 = getting worsearr >=-1.0 AND <=1.0 = staticarr >1.0 = getting betterFor other indicators, the trend is estimated by comparing the average of the last three years with the average ten years ago:decreasing if now < 95% 10 yrs agoincreasing if now > 105% 10 yrs agostatic otherwiseincreasingdecreasing Or, if there is a global target: getting better,static,getting worseNotesClarification comments, when necessary LongitudeFor use with mapping LatitudeFor use with mapping DateDate data uploaded to the Hub the following codes are also possible values: not reported does not apply don’t know This is one of many datasets featured on the Midwives’ Data Hub, a digital platform designed to strengthen midwifery and advocate for better maternal and newborn health services.

Life Expectancy of the World Population

The dataset from Worldometer provides a ranked list of countries based on life expectancy at birth, which represents the average number of years a newborn is expected to live under current mortality rates. It includes global, regional, and country-specific life expectancy figures, with separate data for males and females. The dataset highlights disparities in longevity across nations, with countries like Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea having the highest life expectancies. This data serves as a key indicator of public health, quality of life, and healthcare effectiveness, offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and global health organizations.

Data Analysis & Machine Learning Approaches for Life Expectancy Data

Data Analysis Approaches Life expectancy data can be analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, variance, distribution) and correlation analysis to identify relationships with factors like GDP, healthcare, and education. Time series analysis helps track longevity trends over time, while clustering techniques (e.g., K-Means) group countries with similar patterns. Additionally, geospatial analysis can visualize regional disparities in life expectancy.

Machine Learning Models For prediction, linear and multiple regression models estimate life expectancy based on socioeconomic indicators, while polynomial regression captures non-linear trends. Decision trees and Random Forests classify countries into high- and low-life expectancy groups. Deep learning techniques like neural networks (ANNs) can model complex relationships, while LSTMs are useful for time-series forecasting.

For pattern detection, K-Means clustering groups countries based on life expectancy trends, and DBSCAN identifies anomalies. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) helps in feature selection, improving model efficiency. These methods provide insights into longevity trends, helping policymakers and researchers improve public health strategies.

Life expectancy at birth. Data based on the latest United Nations Population Division estimates.

Source: https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/#countries-ranked-by-life-expectancy