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

In 2023, South Korea's infant mortality rate was **** deaths per 1,000 live births. The infant mortality rate in South Korea has declined over the past few decades.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for the Republic of Korea (SPDYNIMRTINKOR) from 1960 to 2023 about mortality, infant, Korea, and rate.

In 1900, the child mortality rate of the area of modern-day South Korea was just over five hundred deaths per thousand live births, meaning that over half of all children born in these years would not live beyond their fifth birthday. This rate would spike briefly in 1910, as the Korean peninsula was annexed by the Empire of Japan, before dropping by almost half over the next three decades. In 1940, the child mortality rate had fallen to 265 deaths per thousand births, before rising over three hundred deaths in the years between the Second World war and Korean War.

Following the end of the Korean War with the 1953 armistice, however, child mortality would resume upon its earlier trajectory. As a result, child mortality would fall to just nine deaths per thousand births by the turn of the century, and in 2020, it is estimated that 99.7 percent of children born in South Korea will survive past their fifth birthday.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in South Korea stood at 2.3. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 71.2, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 1955, the infant mortality rate in North Korea was estimated to be 121 deaths per thousand live births, meaning that for every thousand children born in North Korea in this year, one eighth would not survive past their first birthday. This figure was recorded during the five year period between 1951 and 1955, which was dominated by the effects of the Korean War; following the war's end and the period of adjustment that followed, North Korea's infant mortality rate fell significantly over the next four decades. However, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent cut off of economic aid, infant mortality in North Korea more than doubled in the 1990s. Flooding, famine and drought, exacerbated by the governments inefficient response saw infant mortality rise to 58 deaths per thousand births by the late 1990s. This figure has dropped to just 14 deaths per thousand births since the turn of the millennium, although this rate is seven times higher than that of South Korea.

Historical dataset showing South Korea infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.900 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.000 Ratio for 2015. Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 15.900 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 81.400 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.900 Ratio in 2016. Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.World Bank: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted Average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in South Korea was reported at 2.1 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

In 2023, there were *** infants in South Korea who died from certain conditions originating in the perinatal period. The second-most common cause of death for Korean infants were symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, NEC.

Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) in South Korea was reported at 2.5 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.700 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.800 Ratio for 2015. Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 3.300 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.400 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 2.700 Ratio in 2016. Korea Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.World Bank: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, female is the number of female infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 female live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted Average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Korea Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 3.100 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.200 Ratio for 2015. Korea Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 3.800 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.400 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 3.100 Ratio in 2016. Korea Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted Average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Number of infant deaths in South Korea was reported at 567 deaths in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Number of infant deaths - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

14.5 (deaths per 1,000 live births) in 2023. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) - Infant Mortality Rate for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was 14.50000 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) - Infant Mortality Rate for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea reached a record high of 55.10000 in January of 1996 and a record low of 13.10000 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of (North Korea) - Infant Mortality Rate for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on October of 2025.

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in South Korea was reported at 4.5 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Korea - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

This study aimed at analyzing the infant, maternal, perinatal, fetal mortality statistics in the Republic of Korea (Korea), 2014. It was based on the open access data available from Statistics Korea website (http://kostat.go.kr/portal/eng/index.action). Recent trends of those vital statistics were also examined. It is the descriptive presentation and analysis of the national data. Number of infant death was 1,305 out of 435,435 live births in 2014 and infant mortality rate was 3.0. Number of maternal death was 48.Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births) was 11.0. Maternal mortality rate (per 100,000 women of child bearing years [15-49 years-old]) was 0.37. Number of perinatal death was 1,365 and perinatal mortality rate was 3.1. Number of fetal death was 5,317. Fetal mortality rate was 12.1. The trends of those vital statistics in recent years were consistent except a few: decrease of the maternal mortality ratio of pregnant women of 40 years-old and older; the change of the proportions of the causes of infant death that is, decrease of respiratory distress of new born and increase of bacterial sepsis. Above data showed that although there was a consistency of those vital statistics, some content varied by year. Pregnant women of less than 20 years-old should be monitored for their babies’ health more intensively. It can be a basic data for the establishment of the medical health policy by Korean Government.

In 1900, the crude birth rate in South Korea was just under 42 births for every thousand people, meaning that approximately 4.2 percent of the population was born in that year. The crude birth rate would rise briefly in the 1930s, as Japanese investment would lead to economic growth on the peninsula, but would fall sharply in the 1940s, as the Second World War and the Korean War would result in two decades of significant socio-economic turmoil. While the crude birth rate would recover quickly after the end of the Korean War in 1953, a sharp decline in fertility beginning in the 1960s would see a corresponding fall in the crude birth rate lasting until the late 1980s, as South Korea would go through a rapid demographic transition and modernization. While the crude birth rate would briefly rise in the early 1990s, partially due to governmental restrictions on sex-selective abortion; the rate of decline would slow going into the 21st century. As a result, in 2020, it is estimated that South Korea has a birth rate of seven births for every thousand people, which is one of the lowest birth rates in the world.

Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) in North Korea was reported at 16.1 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.