Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Child mortality

Child mortality in 2024: 0.6 per 100 live births in Saudi Arabia and 3.5 per 100 live births in South Africa, by Gapminder and UN IGME estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Africa, by 2.9 per 100 live births, or 5.85 times that in Saudi Arabia.

Watch it change on the map

deaths before age 5 per 100 live births · Gapminder and UN IGME

Saudi ArabiaSouth AfricaWorld

What the numbers say

South Africa has been higher since 1980, when it overtook Saudi Arabia.
In 2024, Saudi Arabia ranked 149 and South Africa ranked 53 of 200 countries, counting from the highest.
The world as a whole: 3.7 per 100 live births in 2024.

Every year

deaths before age 5 per 100 live births · Gapminder and UN IGME

Year	Saudi Arabia	South Africa	World
2024	0.6	3.5	3.7
2023	0.6	3.5	3.8
2022	0.6	3.4	4
2021	0.7	3.4	4
2020	0.7	3.4	3.9
2019	0.7	3.4	4
2018	0.8	3.5	4
2017	0.8	3.6	4.1
2016	0.9	3.7	4.2
2015	0.9	3.8	4.3
2014	1	4	4.4
2013	1	4.1	4.5
2012	1.1	4.3	4.7
2011	1.1	4.6	5
2010	1.2	5	5.1
2009	1.3	5.7	5.3
2008	1.4	6.4	5.5
2007	1.5	7.1	5.7
2006	1.5	7.7	6
2005	1.6	8	6.2
2004	1.7	8.1	6.6
2003	1.8	7.9	6.8
2002	1.9	7.7	7.1
2001	2.1	7.5	7.4
2000	2.2	7.1	7.7
1999	2.3	6.9	7.9
1998	2.5	6.6	8.3
1997	2.7	6.3	8.4
1996	2.8	6.1	8.6
1995	3	5.9	8.8
1994	3.3	5.8	8.9
1993	3.5	5.7	9.1
1992	3.8	5.6	9.2
1991	4.1	5.7	9.3
1990	4.4	5.8	9.4
1989	4.8	6	9.5
1988	5.2	6.3	10
1987	5.6	6.6	9.9
1986	6	6.9	10.3
1985	6.5	7.2	10.6
1984	7	7.6	10.9
1983	7.5	8	11.1
1982	8.1	8.4	11.2
1981	8.7	8.9	11.6
1980	9.3	9.4	11.9
1979	10	9.9	11.9
1978	10.7	10.5	12.3
1977	11.4	11.1	12.6
1976	12.2	11.8	12.8
1975	13	12.5	13.1
1974	13.9	13.2	13.3
1973	14.9	–	13.5
1972	15.9	–	13.7
1971	17.1	–	13.9
1970	18.3	–	14.2
1969	–	–	14.6
1968	–	–	15
1967	–	–	15.3
1966	–	–	15.1
1965	–	–	15.1
1964	–	–	15.7
1963	–	–	16.2
1962	–	–	17
1961	–	–	18.8
1960	24.3	–	20.2
1959	–	–	19.9
1958	–	–	19.7
1957	–	–	20.5
1956	–	–	21.3
1955	–	–	22.3
1954	–	–	22.8
1953	–	–	23.3
1952	–	–	23.9
1951	–	–	24.3
1950	–	–	24.7
1949	–	–	24.9
1948	–	–	24.9
1947	–	–	25.5
1946	–	–	25.8
1945	–	–	26.7
1944	–	–	27.4
1943	–	–	27.7
1942	–	–	27.9
1941	–	–	27.8
1940	–	–	27.9
1939	–	–	28
1938	–	–	28.7
1937	–	–	28.8
1936	–	–	29.1
1935	–	–	29.5
1934	–	–	30.7
1933	–	–	30.5
1932	–	–	30.7
1931	–	–	31.4
1930	–	–	31.6
1929	–	–	32
1928	–	–	31.9
1927	–	–	31.9
1926	–	–	32.7
1925	–	–	32.4
1924	–	–	33.1
1923	–	–	33.1
1922	–	–	33.2
1921	–	–	34.2
1920	–	–	34.4
1919	–	–	35.7
1918	–	–	37.6
1917	–	–	35.3
1916	–	–	35.1
1915	–	–	35.3
1914	–	–	35.4
1913	–	–	35.1
1912	–	–	35.5
1911	–	–	36
1910	–	–	36.4
1909	–	–	36.6
1908	–	–	37.2
1907	–	–	37.4
1906	–	–	38.1
1905	–	–	38.8
1904	–	–	38.9
1903	–	–	39.5
1902	–	–	40.1
1901	–	–	40.8
1900	–	–	40.9
1899	–	–	40.8
1898	–	–	41.2
1897	–	–	41
1896	–	–	41.1
1895	–	–	41.3
1894	–	–	41.2
1893	–	–	41.2
1892	–	–	41.7
1891	–	–	41.3
1890	–	–	41.5
1889	–	–	41.2
1888	–	–	41
1887	–	–	41.1
1886	–	–	41.1
1885	–	–	41.2
1884	–	–	41.1
1883	–	–	41.4
1882	–	–	41.5
1881	–	–	41.1
1880	–	–	41.6
1879	–	–	41.1
1878	–	–	41.6
1877	–	–	41.2
1876	–	–	41.4
1875	–	–	41.5
1874	–	–	41.7
1873	–	–	41.8
1872	–	–	42.1
1871	–	–	42.2
1870	–	–	41.9
1869	–	–	42.1
1868	–	–	42.4
1867	–	–	42
1866	–	–	42.1
1865	–	–	42.3
1864	–	–	42.2
1863	–	–	42.5
1862	–	–	42.6
1861	–	–	42.9
1860	–	–	42.9
1859	–	–	43.7
1858	–	–	43.8
1857	–	–	44.2
1856	–	–	44.2
1855	–	–	44
1854	–	–	43.7
1853	–	–	43.2
1852	–	–	42.9
1851	–	–	42.4
1850	–	–	42
1849	–	–	42.3
1848	–	–	42.3
1847	–	–	42.2
1846	–	–	42.4
1845	–	–	42
1844	–	–	42.1
1843	–	–	42.1
1842	–	–	42.2
1841	–	–	42.1
1840	–	–	42.1
1839	–	–	42.1
1838	–	–	42.2
1837	–	–	42.2
1836	–	–	42.2
1835	–	–	42.2
1834	–	–	42.3
1833	–	–	42.2
1832	–	–	42.2
1831	–	–	42.2
1830	–	–	42.2
1829	–	–	42.1
1828	–	–	42.1
1827	–	–	42.1
1826	–	–	42.1
1825	–	–	42.1
1824	–	–	42.1
1823	–	–	42.1
1822	–	–	42.1
1821	–	–	42.1
1820	–	–	42.1
1819	–	–	42.2
1818	–	–	42.2
1817	–	–	42.2
1816	–	–	42.2
1815	–	–	42.2
1814	–	–	42.3
1813	–	–	42.3
1812	–	–	42.4
1811	–	–	42.4
1810	–	–	42.5
1809	–	–	42.5
1808	–	–	42.5
1807	–	–	42.5
1806	–	–	42.6
1805	–	–	42.6
1804	–	–	42.6
1803	–	–	42.6
1802	–	–	42.7
1801	–	–	42.7
1800	–	–	42.8

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of children who die before their fifth birthday.
Source: Gapminder (2015) and UN IGME (2025), via Our World in Data.
Ranks count the 200 countries with a value in 2024, 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