Korea, Rep.: Number of infant deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s number of infant deaths fell 4.6% on 2023 (from 583 to 556).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −7.8% and a typical year strayed about 3.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly fall was 16.4% in 1984. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 77.08 a year. A straight line explains 95% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Korea, Rep. had the 118th highest value of the 196 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2024 ranking

• Mongolia — 115th of 196: 717
• Cuba — 116th of 196: 648
• Netherlands — 117th of 196: 577
• Jamaica — 119th of 196: 535
• Moldova — 120th of 196: 490
• Costa Rica — 121st of 196: 468

What this measures

Number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.

Limitations: Complete vital registration systems are fairly uncommon in developing countries. Thus estimates must be obtained from sample surveys or derived by applying indirect estimation techniques to registration, census, or survey data. Survey data are subject to recall error, and surveys estimating infant/child deaths require large samples because households in which a birth has occurred during a given year cannot ordinarily be preselected for sampling. Indirect estimates rely on model life tables that may be inappropriate for the population concerned. Extrapolations based on outdated surveys may not be reliable for monitoring changes in health status or for comparative analytical work.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 65 values

Number of infant deaths in nearby economies

• Australia — 941 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 53 (2024)
• Cambodia — 5,873 (2024)
• China — 36,113 (2024)
• Fiji — 389 (2024)
• Indonesia — 67,732 (2024)
• Japan — 1,363 (2024)
• Kiribati — 132 (2024)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 4,536 (2024)
• Lao PDR — 4,402 (2024)
• Malaysia — 3,053 (2024)
• Marshall Islands

More health data for Korea, Rep.

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 2.35% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 2.49% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 2.57 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 9.92% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 2.7 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 10.49% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 5.27 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 10.2% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 3.3% (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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Questions people ask

What is Korea, Rep.'s number of infant deaths?

556 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is down 99.31% from 80,078 in 1960 (7.47% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 80,078 in 1960 and the lowest 556 in 2024.

How does Korea, Rep. rank?

118th highest of 196 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in number of infant deaths unusual for Korea, Rep.?

In 2024, Korea, Rep.'s number of infant deaths fell 4.6% on 2023 (from 583 to 556). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −7.8% and a typical year strayed about 3.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.DTH.IMRT, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: www.childmortality.org; World Health Organization (WHO), uri: www.childmortality.org, note: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation; World Bank (WB), uri: www.childmortality.org, note: UN Inter-agenc… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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