Japan vs South Africa: Infant mortality

Infant mortality in 2023: 1.6 per 1,000 live births in Japan and 27.9 per 1,000 live births in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in South Africa, by 26.2 per 1,000 live births, or 17 times that in Japan.

Watch it change on the map

deaths per 1,000 live births · UN

JapanSouth AfricaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2023, Japan ranked 224 and South Africa ranked 51 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts Japan at 0.3 per 1,000 live births and South Africa at 3 per 1,000 live births in 2100.
The world as a whole: 27.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023.

Every year

deaths per 1,000 live births · UN

Year	Japan	South Africa	World
2023	1.6	27.9	27.3
2022	1.7	30.1	28.2
2021	1.7	27.6	28.4
2020	1.8	21.8	28.7
2019	1.9	27.8	29.2
2018	1.9	26.1	29.7
2017	1.8	23.8	30.3
2016	2	26.2	31.1
2015	2	28	32.1
2014	2.1	29.2	32.9
2013	2.1	29.6	33.9
2012	2.2	27.6	35
2011	2.4	28.5	36.8
2010	2.3	35.4	37.7
2009	2.4	39.7	39.1
2008	2.6	45.4	40.4
2007	2.6	48.3	42
2006	2.7	49.6	43.7
2005	2.8	51.9	45.4
2004	2.8	51.2	47.2
2003	3	53.5	48.8
2002	3	51.9	50.6
2001	3.1	47.3	52.2
2000	3.3	45.8	53.7
1999	3.4	51.1	55.5
1998	3.7	49.8	57.1
1997	3.7	48.6	58.3
1996	3.8	47.6	59.6
1995	4.2	46.8	60.8
1994	4.4	46.2	62
1993	4.3	46.1	62.9
1992	4.5	46.2	64.1
1991	4.5	46.7	64.9
1990	4.6	47.5	64.9
1989	4.5	48.6	66.2
1988	4.8	49.9	68
1987	4.9	51.7	68.6
1986	5.2	53.4	70.8
1985	5.4	55.5	72.9
1984	6	57.7	74.6
1983	6.2	60	76.1
1982	6.6	62.5	76.6
1981	7	65.1	78.7
1980	7.3	67.5	80.6
1979	7.8	70	82.5
1978	8.3	72.3	84.7
1977	8.8	74.6	86.4
1976	9.2	76.7	88.1
1975	9.7	78.6	89.6
1974	10.7	80.4	90.9
1973	11.4	82.1	92.1
1972	11.8	83.8	93.6
1971	12.8	85.3	96.1
1970	13.5	86.7	96.9
1969	14.2	88	98.3
1968	15.4	89.1	100.2
1967	16.9	90.2	103.1
1966	16.8	91.3	104.9
1965	19.4	92.3	106.4
1964	20.9	93.3	106.1
1963	23.3	94.5	107.7
1962	26.4	95.9	110.2
1961	28.4	97.6	121.5
1960	30.5	99.7	131.8
1959	32.9	102.3	125.7
1958	35.3	105.5	117.7
1957	38.3	109.3	120
1956	39.6	113.4	121.9
1955	39	117.8	124.8
1954	43.4	122.2	127.7
1953	46.8	126.4	130.1
1952	47.6	130.6	132.7
1951	53.5	134.5	136
1950	56	138.5	138.1

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	Japan	South Africa	World
2024	1.71.4–2	22.918.8–26.8	26.9
2025	1.61.3–2	22.416.7–28.1	26.4
2026	1.61.2–2.1	21.915.4–28.6	25.9
2027	1.51.1–2.1	21.514.1–29.7	25.4
2028	1.51–2.2	2112.8–30.1	24.9
2029	1.51–2.2	20.611.9–30.8	24.5
2030	1.40.9–2.2	20.211–31.2	24
2031	1.40.9–2.2	19.810.4–31.1	23.6
2032	1.30.9–2.2	19.49.5–31.7	23.2
2033	1.30.8–2.2	199–31.8	22.8
2034	1.30.8–2.2	18.68.4–32.1	22.3
2035	1.20.7–2.2	18.27.7–32.2	21.9
2036	1.20.7–2.2	17.97.5–32.9	21.5
2037	1.20.7–2.1	17.57.1–32.9	21.1
2038	1.20.7–2.1	17.17.1–33.5	20.8
2039	1.10.6–2.1	16.76.3–32.5	20.4
2040	1.10.6–2.1	16.26.2–32.5	20
2041	1.10.6–2.1	15.85.7–33.3	19.7
2042	1.10.6–2.1	15.45.4–33.1	19.4
2043	10.5–2.1	155.2–32.6	19
2044	10.5–2	14.64.9–32.4	18.7
2045	10.5–2	14.24.7–31.8	18.4
2046	10.5–1.9	13.84.4–31.8	18.2
2047	0.90.5–2	13.44.2–32.4	17.9
2048	0.90.4–2	13.14.1–33.1	17.7
2049	0.90.4–2	12.73.9–32.8	17.5
2050	0.90.4–2	12.43.7–31.4	17.3
2051	0.90.4–2	123.4–31.1	17.1
2052	0.90.4–1.9	11.73.4–31.2	16.9
2053	0.80.4–1.9	11.43.1–31.4	16.7
2054	0.80.4–1.9	11.13–31.2	16.5
2055	0.80.3–1.9	10.82.9–30.8	16.3
2056	0.80.3–1.9	10.52.7–30.7	16.1
2057	0.80.3–1.8	10.12.6–30.7	15.9
2058	0.80.3–1.7	9.82.5–30.4	15.7
2059	0.70.3–1.8	9.62.4–30.5	15.5
2060	0.70.3–1.8	9.32.3–29.9	15.3
2061	0.70.3–1.8	92.2–29.9	15.1
2062	0.70.3–1.7	8.72.1–29.4	14.9
2063	0.70.2–1.7	8.52.1–28.9	14.7
2064	0.70.2–1.8	8.22–28	14.5
2065	0.70.2–1.7	81.9–28.1	14.3
2066	0.60.2–1.7	7.81.9–27.5	14.1
2067	0.60.2–1.7	7.51.7–28	13.9
2068	0.60.2–1.7	7.31.7–27.5	13.8
2069	0.60.2–1.6	71.6–27.1	13.6
2070	0.60.2–1.6	6.81.5–27	13.4
2071	0.60.2–1.6	6.61.4–27.3	13.2
2072	0.60.2–1.6	6.41.4–26.7	13
2073	0.60.2–1.6	6.21.3–26.2	12.9
2074	0.50.1–1.5	61.3–26.2	12.7
2075	0.50.1–1.5	5.91.3–25.3	12.6
2076	0.50.1–1.5	5.71.2–25.6	12.4
2077	0.50.1–1.5	5.61.2–25.7	12.3
2078	0.50.1–1.4	5.41.2–25.4	12.1
2079	0.50.1–1.4	5.31.1–24.4	12
2080	0.50.1–1.4	5.21.1–24.9	11.8
2081	0.50.1–1.4	51.1–24.9	11.7
2082	0.50.1–1.4	4.91–24.9	11.6
2083	0.50.1–1.4	4.81–24.5	11.5
2084	0.40.1–1.3	4.71–24.5	11.4
2085	0.40.1–1.3	4.51–24.4	11.3
2086	0.40.1–1.3	4.41–24.4	11.1
2087	0.40.1–1.3	4.30.9–23.8	11
2088	0.40.1–1.3	4.20.9–24.3	10.9
2089	0.40.1–1.3	4.10.9–24.3	10.8
2090	0.40.1–1.3	40.8–23.1	10.7
2091	0.40.1–1.2	3.90.8–23.3	10.6
2092	0.40–1.3	3.80.8–23	10.5
2093	0.40–1.2	3.60.8–22.6	10.4
2094	0.40–1.2	3.50.7–22.6	10.3
2095	0.40–1.2	3.40.7–21.8	10.1
2096	0.30–1.2	3.40.7–22.5	10
2097	0.30–1.2	3.30.7–22.2	9.9
2098	0.30–1.2	3.20.7–22.2	9.8
2099	0.30–1.2	3.10.6–22.3	9.7
2100	0.30–1.2	30.6–21.8	9.6

Each country on its own

Good to know

Babies who die before their first birthday, per 1,000 born alive.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Japan vs South Africa: Infant mortality

What the numbers say

Every year

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Japan vs South Africa

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