Infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Infant deaths was 1.89 million in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
1.89 million
Change on year
down 0.8%
Rank
2nd
of 23 groups
All-time high
2.40 million
in 2000
All-time low
1.89 million
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024

0500.0k1.0M1.5M2.0M2.5M2000201220242000: 2.4M2001: 2.4M2002: 2.3M2003: 2.3M2004: 2.2M2005: 2.2M2006: 2.1M2007: 2.1M2008: 2.1M2009: 2.1M2010: 2.0M2011: 2.1M2012: 2.0M2013: 1.9M2014: 2.0M2015: 2.0M2016: 1.9M2017: 1.9M2018: 1.9M2019: 1.9M2020: 1.9M2021: 1.9M2022: 2.0M2023: 1.9M2024: 1.9M

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

In 2024, infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa stood at 1.89 million.

The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 3.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 2.40 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.89 million, in 2020.

Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 23 groups on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2.22 million 2.06 million 2.40 million 10
2010s 1.96 million 1.90 million 2.06 million 10
2020s 1.93 million 1.89 million 1.99 million 5

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 1 India 539,573 compare
  2. 2 Nigeria 519,644 compare
  3. 3 Pakistan 329,205 compare
  4. 4 Democratic Republic of the Congo 247,025 compare
  5. 5 Ethiopia 141,578 compare

See the full ranking of 221 places β†’

More development goals data for Sub-Saharan Africa

All data for Sub-Saharan Africa β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa was 1.89 million in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest infant deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.40 million in 2000.
What is the lowest infant deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 1.89 million in 2020.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for infant deaths?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
Is infant deaths rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database, published as part of Infant deaths (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. Statizoid, drawing on United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database. Retrieved 15 August 2026, from https://development-goals.statizoid.com/stat/infant-deaths-number/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant deaths (number)
Source
United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database
Licence
UN SDG Global Database (open, attribution requested)
Coverage
221 places, 5,525 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed