South Africa vs South Sudan: Child mortality

Child mortality in 2024: 3.5 per 100 live births in South Africa and 9.7 per 100 live births in South Sudan, by Gapminder and UN IGME estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in South Sudan, by 6.2 per 100 live births, or 2.75 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

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

South AfricaSouth SudanWorld

What the numbers say

South Sudan has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1974.
In 2024, South Africa ranked 53 and South Sudan ranked 5 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	South Africa	South Sudan	World
2024	3.5	9.7	3.7
2023	3.5	9.7	3.8
2022	3.4	9.7	4
2021	3.4	9.7	4
2020	3.4	9.7	3.9
2019	3.4	9.7	4
2018	3.5	13.4	4
2017	3.6	29.2	4.1
2016	3.7	27.3	4.2
2015	3.8	24.1	4.3
2014	4	18.3	4.4
2013	4.1	9.7	4.5
2012	4.3	9.9	4.7
2011	4.6	10.2	5
2010	5	10.7	5.1
2009	5.7	11.3	5.3
2008	6.4	11.9	5.5
2007	7.1	12.5	5.7
2006	7.7	13.2	6
2005	8	13.8	6.2
2004	8.1	14.6	6.6
2003	7.9	15.4	6.8
2002	7.7	16.2	7.1
2001	7.5	17.1	7.4
2000	7.1	18	7.7
1999	6.9	18.9	7.9
1998	6.6	43.1	8.3
1997	6.3	25.1	8.4
1996	6.1	26	8.6
1995	5.9	26.8	8.8
1994	5.8	22.8	8.9
1993	5.7	33.1	9.1
1992	5.6	33.7	9.2
1991	5.7	29.6	9.3
1990	5.8	30.1	9.4
1989	6	30.6	9.5
1988	6.3	78.1	10
1987	6.6	35.8	9.9
1986	6.9	26.5	10.3
1985	7.2	26.9	10.6
1984	7.6	27.3	10.9
1983	8	27.6	11.1
1982	8.4	27.9	11.2
1981	8.9	28.3	11.6
1980	9.4	28.6	11.9
1979	9.9	28.9	11.9
1978	10.5	29.3	12.3
1977	11.1	29.7	12.6
1976	11.8	30.1	12.8
1975	12.5	30.4	13.1
1974	13.2	30.7	13.3
1973	–	31.1	13.5
1972	–	31.4	13.7
1971	–	31.8	13.9
1970	–	40.5	14.2
1969	–	40.9	14.6
1968	–	40.4	15
1967	–	40.7	15.3
1966	–	41.1	15.1
1965	–	33.8	15.1
1964	–	34.1	15.7
1963	–	38.8	16.2
1962	–	34.7	17
1961	–	35	18.8
1960	–	35.3	20.2
1959	–	35.5	19.9
1958	–	35.7	19.7
1957	–	36	20.5
1956	–	36.3	21.3
1955	–	36.6	22.3
1954	–	36.8	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