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

In 2023, the death rate in deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in India stood at ****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by *****, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in India was at about 24.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, a significant decrease from previous years. Infant mortality as an indicatorThe infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. This rate is an important key indicator for a country’s health and standard of living; a low infant mortality rate indicates a high standard of healthcare. Causes of infant mortality include premature birth, sepsis or meningitis, sudden infant death syndrome, and pneumonia. Globally, the infant mortality rate has shrunk from 63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 27 since 1990 and is forecast to drop to 8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2100. India’s rural problemWith 32 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, India is neither among the countries with the highest nor among those with the lowest infant mortality rate. Its decrease indicates an increase in medical care and hygiene, as well as a decrease in female infanticide. Increasing life expectancy at birth is another indicator that shows that the living conditions of the Indian population are improving. Still, India’s inhabitants predominantly live in rural areas, where standards of living as well as access to medical care and hygiene are traditionally lower and more complicated than in cities. Public health programs are thus put in place by the government to ensure further improvement.

Neonatal mortality rate of India decreased by 4.42% from 18.1 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 17.3 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 3.74% fall in 2013, neonatal mortality rate sank by 38.87% in 2023. Neonatal mortality rate is the number of neonates dying before reaching 28 days of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

The statistic shows the adult mortality rate in India from 2013 to 2023, by gender. According to the source, the adult mortality rate is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60 - that is, the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching age 60, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year between those ages. In 2023, the mortality rate for women was at ****** per 1,000 female adults, while the mortality rate for men was at ****** per 1,000 male adults in India.

India IN: Mortality Rate Attributed to Unsafe Water, Unsafe Sanitation and Lack of Hygiene: per 100,000 Population data was reported at 18.600 Ratio in 2016. India IN: Mortality Rate Attributed to Unsafe Water, Unsafe Sanitation and Lack of Hygiene: per 100,000 Population data is updated yearly, averaging 18.600 Ratio from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2016, with 1 observations. India IN: Mortality Rate Attributed to Unsafe Water, Unsafe Sanitation and Lack of Hygiene: per 100,000 Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.World Bank: Health Statistics. Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene is deaths attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene focusing on inadequate WASH services per 100,000 population. Death rates are calculated by dividing the number of deaths by the total population. In this estimate, only the impact of diarrhoeal diseases, intestinal nematode infections, and protein-energy malnutrition are taken into account.; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

Female child mortality rate of India declined by 4.79% from 29.2 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 27.8 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 5.90% slump in 2013, female child mortality rate plummeted by 45.49% in 2023. Child mortality rate is the probability of dying between the exact ages of one and five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates. The probability is expressed as a rate per 1,000.

Mortality rate, adult, male (per 1,000 male adults) in India was reported at 178 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, adult, male (per 1,000 male adults) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

India IN: Mortality from CVD, Cancer, Diabetes or CRD between Exact Ages 30 and 70: Female data was reported at 19.800 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20.000 NA for 2015. India IN: Mortality from CVD, Cancer, Diabetes or CRD between Exact Ages 30 and 70: Female data is updated yearly, averaging 21.200 NA from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.400 NA in 2000 and a record low of 19.800 NA in 2016. India IN: Mortality from CVD, Cancer, Diabetes or CRD between Exact Ages 30 and 70: Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Mortality from CVD, cancer, diabetes or CRD is the percent of 30-year-old-people who would die before their 70th birthday from any of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, or chronic respiratory disease, assuming that s/he would experience current mortality rates at every age and s/he would not die from any other cause of death (e.g., injuries or HIV/AIDS).; ; World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data Repository (http://apps.who.int/ghodata/).; Weighted average;

India: Deaths of children five to fourteen years of age per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 2 deaths per 1000 births, unchanged from 2 deaths per 1000 births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 3 deaths per 1000 births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1990 to 2022 is 7 deaths per 1000 births. The minimum value, 2 deaths per 1000 births, was reached in 2018 while the maximum of 14 deaths per 1000 births was recorded in 1990.

India: Infant deaths per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 26 deaths per 1000 live births, a decline from 27 deaths per 1000 live births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 19 deaths per 1000 live births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1967 to 2022 is 80 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 26 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 143 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1967.

This data set shows the number of deaths per month due to fever in the districts of Central Province, India, from 1916 to 1921. The numbers are seasonally adjusted to show excess mortality due to the influenza pandemic of 1918-19. For additional information, please contact Siddharth Chandra at chandr45@msu.edu.

Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) in India was reported at 27.8 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, under-5, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Forecast: Child Mortality Rate in India 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

India: Deaths of children under five years of age per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 29 deaths per 1000 births, a decline from 31 deaths per 1000 births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 25 deaths per 1000 births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1960 to 2022 is 130 deaths per 1000 births. The minimum value, 29 deaths per 1000 births, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 242 deaths per 1000 births was recorded in 1960.

Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data was reported at 19.000 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 20.000 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data is updated yearly, averaging 33.000 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 53.000 NA in 1998 and a record low of 19.000 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: per 1000 Live Births: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH005: Vital Statistics: Infant Mortality Rate: by States.

Mortality rate, adult, female (per 1,000 female adults) in India was reported at 122 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Mortality rate, adult, female (per 1,000 female adults) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

India IN: Probability of Dying at Age 20-24 Years: per 1000 data was reported at 6.000 Ratio in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 6.100 Ratio for 2018. India IN: Probability of Dying at Age 20-24 Years: per 1000 data is updated yearly, averaging 10.350 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2019, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.000 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 6.000 Ratio in 2019. India IN: Probability of Dying at Age 20-24 Years: per 1000 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Probability of dying between age 20-24 years of age expressed per 1,000 youths age 20, if subject to 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; Aggregate data for LIC, UMC, LMC, HIC are computed based on the groupings for the World Bank fiscal year in which the data was released by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation.

Female adult mortality rate of India reduced by 2.81% from 125.5 deaths per 1,000 female adults in 2022 to 122.0 deaths per 1,000 female adults in 2023. Since the 32.33% jump in 2021, female adult mortality rate plummeted by 33.86% in 2023. Adult mortality rate is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60--that is, the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching age 60, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates between those ages.

Background and objectiveIndia contributes the highest global share of deaths among the under-fives. Continuous monitoring of the reduction in the under-five mortality rate (U5MR) at local level is thus essential to set priorities for policy-makers and health professionals. In this study, we aimed to provide an update on district-level disparities in the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and the U5MR with special reference to Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) on preventable deaths among new-borns and children under five.Data and methodsWe used recently released population-based cross-sectional data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) conducted in 2015–2016. We used the synthetic cohort probability approach to analyze the full birth history information of women aged 15–49 to estimate the NMR and U5MR for the ten years preceding the survey.ResultsBoth the NMR and U5MR vary enormously across Indian districts. With respect to the SDG3 target for 2030 for the NMR and the U5MR, the estimated NMR for India for the period studied is about 2.4 times higher, while the estimated U5MR is about double. At district level, while 9% of the districts have already reached the NMR targeted in SDG3, nearly half (315 districts) are not likely to achieve the 2030 target even if they realize the NMR reductions achieved by their own states between the last two rounds of National Family Health Survey of India. Similarly, less than one-third of the districts (177) of India are unlikely to achieve the SDG3 target on the U5MR by 2030. While the majority of high-risk districts for the NMR and U5MR are located in the poorer states of north-central and eastern India, a few high-risk districts for NMR also fall in the rich and advanced states. About 97% of districts from Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh, for example, are unlikely to meet the SDG3 target for preventable deaths among new-borns and children under age five, irrespective of gender.ConclusionsTo achieve the SDG3 target on preventable deaths by 2030, the majority of Indian districts clearly need to make a giant leap to reduce their NMR and U5MR.