In 2023, the average crude death rate in Africa was **** deaths per 1,000 people. The mortality rate on the continent has decreased gradually since the 2000s. In comparison, the death rate stood at roughly **** deaths per 1,000 population in 2000. Decreasing mortality, together with high fertility and rising life expectancy, is a key driver of Africa's population growth.

In 2025, the mortality rate among children under the age of one in Africa was around ** deaths per thousand live births. Infant mortality on the continent decreased significantly compared to 2000, when approximately ** newborn infants out of a thousand died before one year of age. Many African nations rank among the countries with the highest infant mortality rate worldwide.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 8.33 deaths per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 55.13 deaths per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Algeria: 4.6 deaths per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 47 countries was 8.67 deaths per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 55.13 deaths per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Cape Verde: 5 deaths per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The child mortality rate in Africa has steadily declined over the past seven decades. In 2023, it reached 63 deaths per thousand births. In 1950, child mortality was significantly higher, estimated at 327 deaths per thousand births, meaning that almost one-third of all children born in these years did not make it to their fifth birthday. While the reduction rate varies on a country-by-country basis, the overall decline can be attributed in large part to the expansion of healthcare services, improvements in nutrition and access to clean drinking water, and the implementation of large-scale immunization campaigns across the continent. The temporary slowdown in the 1980s and 1990s has been attributed in part to rapid urbanization of many parts of the continent that coincided with poor economic performance, resulting in the creation of overcrowded slums with poor access to health and sanitation services. Despite significant improvements in the continent-wide averages, there remains a significant imbalance in the continent, with Sub-Saharan countries experiencing much higher child mortality rates than those in North Africa.

In 2023, the crude death rate in Africa was *** deaths per 1,000 people. Significant variations were observed between the continent's regions. Specifically, Western Africa registered the highest crude death rate, counting almost ** deaths per 1,000 inhabitants, while the lowest levels of mortality were recorded in Northern Africa.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 7 deaths per 1000 births. The highest value was in Niger: 20 deaths per 1000 births and the lowest value was in Algeria: 1 deaths per 1000 births. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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

Abstract

This cumulative dataset contains statistics on mortality and causes of death in South Africa covering the period 1997-2017. The mortality and causes of death dataset is part of a regular series published by Stats SA, based on data collected through the civil registration system. This dataset is the most recent cumulative round in the series which began with the separately available dataset Recorded Deaths 1996.

The main objective of this dataset is to outline emerging trends and differentials in mortality by selected socio-demographic and geographic characteristics for deaths that occurred in the registered year and over time. Reliable mortality statistics, are the cornerstone of national health information systems, and are necessary for population health assessment, health policy and service planning; and programme evaluation. They are essential for studying the occurrence and distribution of health-related events, their determinants and management of related health problems. These data are particularly critical for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2063 which share the same goal for a high standard of living and quality of life, sound health and well-being for all and at all ages. Mortality statistics are also required for assessing the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCD's), emerging infectious diseases, injuries and natural disasters.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

This dataset is based on information on mortality and causes of death from the South African civil registration system. It covers all death notification forms from the Department of Home Affairs for deaths that occurred in 1997-2017, that reached Stats SA during the 2018/2019 processing phase.

Kind of data

Administrative records data [adm]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

The registration of deaths is captured using two instruments: form BI-1663 and form DHA-1663 (Notification/Register of death/stillbirth).

Data appraisal

This cumulative dataset is part of a regular series published by Stats SA and includes all previous rounds in the series (excluding Recorded Deaths 1996). Stats SA only includes one variable to classify the occupation group of the deceased (OccupationGrp) in the current round (1997-2017). Prior to 2016, Stats SA included both occupation group (OccupationGrp) and industry classification (Industry) in all previous rounds. Therefore, DataFirst has made the 1997-2015 cumulative round available as a separately downloadable dataset which includes both occupation group and industry classification of the deceased spanning the years 1997-2015.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SPDYNIMRTINSSA) from 1990 to 2023 about Sub-Saharan Africa, mortality, infant, and rate.

In Nigeria, Chad, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic, the maternal mortality rate was over 650 per 100,000 live births in 2023, respectively. Nigeria recorded the highest rate on the continent. That year, for every 100,000 children, 993 mothers died from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management. The maternal death rate in Chad equaled 748. South Sudan and the Central African Republic followed with 692 deaths per 100,000 live births each.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate: All Income Levels for Middle East and North Africa (SPDYNIMRTINMEA) from 1990 to 2023 about North Africa, Middle East, mortality, infant, income, and rate.

The statistic shows the death rate in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2013 to 2023. Sub-Saharan Africa includes almost all countries south of the Sahara desert. In 2023, there were about **** deaths per 1,000 inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa.

South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 47.700 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 48.500 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 58.300 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.100 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 47.700 Ratio in 2016. South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Male: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, male is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn male baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to male 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.

Retirement Notice: This item is in mature support as of August 2025 and will be retired in December 2026. Please use this source dataset and follow the steps in the From Vector to Raster blog as a replacement for this service. Esri recommends updating your maps and apps. The annual infant mortality rate in Africa ranges from 99 to 2031 deaths of children less than one-year-old per 10,000 live births. This layer provides access to an approximately 5 km cell sized raster of the Global Subnational Infant Mortality Rates dataset that provides the number of deaths of children less than one-year-old per 10,000 live births in the year 2000. The data cover Africa, Madagascar, and other islands near Africa and were produced by the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center in 2005. Link to source metadata Dataset SummaryAnalysis: Restricted single source analysis. Maximum size of analysis is 24,000 x 24,000 pixels. What can you do with this layer?This layer has query, identify, and export image services available. The layer is restricted to a 24,000 x 24,000 pixel limit for these services. The source data for this layer are available here. Restricted single source analysis means this layer has size constraints for analysis and it is not recommended for use with other layers in multisource analysis.

The child mortality rate in Africa has steadily declined over the past seven decades. In 2023, it reached 63 deaths per thousand births. In 1950, child mortality was significantly higher, estimated at 327 deaths per thousand births, meaning that almost one-third of all children born in these years did not make it to their fifth birthday. While the reduction rate varies on a country-by-country basis, the overall decline can be attributed in large part to the expansion of healthcare services, improvements in nutrition and access to clean drinking water, and the implementation of large-scale immunization campaigns across the continent. The temporary slowdown in the 1980s and 1990s has been attributed in part to rapid urbanization of many parts of the continent that coincided with poor economic performance, resulting in the creation of overcrowded slums with poor access to health and sanitation services. Despite significant improvements in the continent-wide averages, there remains a significant imbalance in the continent, with Sub-Saharan countries experiencing much higher child mortality rates than those in North Africa.

Background: More than 1 year after the beginning of the international spread of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), the reasons explaining its apparently lower reported burden in Africa are still to be fully elucidated. Few studies previously investigated the potential reasons explaining this epidemiological observation using data at the level of a few African countries. However, an updated analysis considering the various epidemiological waves and variables across an array of categories, with a focus on African countries might help to better understand the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent. Thus, we investigated the potential reasons for the persistently lower transmission and mortality rates of COVID-19 in Africa.Methods: Data were collected from publicly available and well-known online sources. The cumulative numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per 1 million population reported by the African countries up to February 2021 were used to estimate the transmission and mortality rates of COVID-19, respectively. The covariates were collected across several data sources: clinical/diseases data, health system performance, demographic parameters, economic indicators, climatic, pollution, and radiation variables, and use of social media. The collinearities were corrected using variance inflation factor (VIF) and selected variables were fitted to a multiple regression model using the R statistical package.Results: Our model (adjusted R-squared: 0.7) found that the number of COVID-19 tests per 1 million population, GINI index, global health security (GHS) index, and mean body mass index (BMI) were significantly associated (P < 0.05) with COVID-19 cases per 1 million population. No association was found between the median life expectancy, the proportion of the rural population, and Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) coverage rate. On the other hand, diabetes prevalence, number of nurses, and GHS index were found to be significantly associated with COVID-19 deaths per 1 million population (adjusted R-squared of 0.5). Moreover, the median life expectancy and lower respiratory infections rate showed a trend towards significance. No association was found with the BCG coverage or communicable disease burden.Conclusions: Low health system capacity, together with some clinical and socio-economic factors were the predictors of the reported burden of COVID-19 in Africa. Our results emphasize the need for Africa to strengthen its overall health system capacity to efficiently detect and respond to public health crises.

Historical dataset showing Sub-Saharan Africa infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Historical dataset showing Africa maternal mortality rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Historical dataset showing Sub-Saharan Africa maternal mortality rate by year from 1985 to 2023.