In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in South Africa was 24.4. Between 1976 and 2023, the figure dropped by 87, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In the mid-20th century, the infant mortality rate of South Africa was estimated to be just over 130 deaths per thousand live births, meaning that almost one in seven infants born at that time would not survive past their first birthday. Infant mortality in South Africa would steadily decline for most of the late-1900s, falling to just over forty deaths per thousand live births by the early 1990s. However, with the outbreak of the the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the late 1990s, infant mortality would gradually rise in the country until improvements in HIV treatment and prevention would allow for infant mortality to decline from 2005 onwards. As South Africa continues to improve access to healthcare, it is estimated that, in 2020, over 97 percent of all infants will make it past their first birthday.

South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 43.300 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 44.100 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 66.000 Ratio from Dec 1974 (Median) to 2016, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 125.500 Ratio in 1974 and a record low of 43.300 Ratio in 2016. South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Under-5: 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 is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, 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; 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.

South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 30.100 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 31.500 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 33.000 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41.200 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 30.100 Ratio in 2016. South Africa ZA: 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 South Africa – Table ZA.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.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in South Africa was reported at 22.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

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

Infant mortality rate of South Africa fell by 0.41% from 24.5 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 24.4 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Since the 3.03% decline in 2013, infant mortality rate plummeted by 23.75% 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.

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.

Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) in South Africa was reported at 24.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) in South Africa was reported at 26.4 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. South Africa - Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

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.

Hazard ratios for potential determinants of infant mortality in rural KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

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

Under-5 mortality rate of South Africa went up by 0.87% from 34.4 deaths per thousand live births in 2022 to 34.7 deaths per thousand live births in 2023. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to current age-specific mortality rates.

In 2023, the under-five child mortality rate in East Africa was highest in Somalia, with ****** deaths per one thousand live births. South Sudan followed, with ***** deaths per one thousand live births. The under five mortality rate, also known as the child mortality rate, refers to the number of newborns who do not survive past the first five years of life. This is generally expressed as a value per 1,000 live births. Child mortality also includes neonatal mortality (deaths within the first 28 days of life) and infant mortality (deaths within the first year of life).

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

Hazard ratios for potential determinants of under 5 mortality in rural KwaZulu Natal (South Africa) using a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

South Africa ZA: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting data was reported at 78.213 % in 2008. This records an increase from the previous number of 76.955 % for 2006. South Africa ZA: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting data is updated yearly, averaging 77.584 % from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2008, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 78.213 % in 2008 and a record low of 76.955 % in 2006. South Africa ZA: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting 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.WDI: Health Statistics. Completeness of infant death reporting is the number of infant deaths reported by national statistics authorities to the United Nations Statistics Division's Demography Yearbook divided by the number of infant deaths estimated by the United Nations Population Division.; ; The United Nations Statistics Division's Population and Vital Statistics Report and the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects.; ;

South Africa ZA: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data was reported at 11.000 NA in 2050. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.200 NA for 2049. South Africa ZA: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data is updated yearly, averaging 30.450 NA from Jun 1985 (Median) to 2050, with 66 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 57.600 NA in 2000 and a record low of 11.000 NA in 2050. South Africa ZA: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

Abstract

This dataset contains statistics on deaths in South Africa in 2007. The registration of deaths in South Africa is regulated by the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 51 of 1992. The South African Department of Home Affairs (DHA) is responsible for the registration of deaths in South Africa. The data is collected with two instruments: The death register and the medical certificate in respect of death. The staff of the DHA Registrar of Deaths section fills in the former while the medical practitioner attending to the death completes the latter. Causes of death are coded by the Department of Home Affairs according to the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) ICD-10, as required by the World Health Organization for their member countries. The data is used by the Department of Home Affairs to update the Population Register. The forms are sent to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) for their use for statistical purposes. From the two forms sent to Stats SA, the following data items of the deceased are extracted: place of residence, place of death, date of death, month and year of registration, sex, marital status, occupation, underlying cause of death, whether or not the death was certified by a medical practitioner, and whether or not the deceased died in a health institution or nursing home. From 1991 death notifications do not require data on population group, and therefore this dataset includes death data for all population groups. This dataset excludes 2010 deaths that were not registered, and late registrations which would not have been available to Stats SA in time for the production of the dataset.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

The data covers all deaths that occurred in 2006 and registered at the Department of Home Affairs.

Kind of data

Administrative records data [adm]

Mode of data collection

Other [oth]

Research instrument

The data is collected with notification / death register / still birth instrument.