Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa: Under-five deaths was 2.83 million in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
2.83 million
Change on year
down 1.4%
Rank
2nd
of 23 groups
All-time high
3.98 million
in 2000
All-time low
2.83 million
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2000–2024

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M2000201220242000: 4.0M2001: 4.0M2002: 3.8M2003: 3.8M2004: 3.7M2005: 3.5M2006: 3.4M2007: 3.4M2008: 3.3M2009: 3.3M2010: 3.2M2011: 3.3M2012: 3.1M2013: 3.0M2014: 3.1M2015: 3.0M2016: 3.0M2017: 3.0M2018: 2.9M2019: 2.9M2020: 2.9M2021: 3.0M2022: 3.1M2023: 2.9M2024: 2.8M

Source: United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.

Analysis

Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 2.83 million for under-five deaths in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa peaked at 3.98 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.83 million, in 2024.

That places Sub-Saharan Africa 2nd out of 23 groups with data for 2024, putting it 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 3.62 million 3.30 million 3.98 million 10
2010s 3.06 million 2.93 million 3.26 million 10
2020s 2.92 million 2.83 million 3.06 million 5

Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa

  1. 1 Nigeria 855,676 compare
  2. 2 India 615,030 compare
  3. 3 Democratic Republic of the Congo 385,039 compare
  4. 4 Pakistan 381,586 compare
  5. 5 Ethiopia 181,228 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 under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Under-five deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa was 2.83 million in 2024, according to United Nations Statistics Division, SDG Global Database.
What is the highest under-five deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The highest recorded value was 3.98 million in 2000.
What is the lowest under-five deaths recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.83 million in 2024.
How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for under-five deaths?
Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd out of 23 groups with data for 2024.
Is under-five deaths rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. 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 Under-five deaths (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Under-five 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/under-five-deaths-number/sub-saharan-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Under-five 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