Zambia: Number of under-five deaths

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Zambia's number of under-five deaths fell 0% on 2023 (from 32,958 to 32,949).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2.3% and a typical year strayed about 2.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.7% in 1986 and the biggest yearly fall was 6.3% in 2004. 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 308.52 a year. A straight line explains 78% 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, Zambia had the 32nd 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 Zambia in the 2024 ranking

• Brazil — 29th of 196: 36,892
• Benin — 30th of 196: 35,304
• Myanmar — 31st of 196: 33,151
• Malawi — 33rd of 196: 32,177
• South Sudan — 34th of 196: 31,993
• Zimbabwe — 35th of 196: 31,802

What this measures

Number of children dying before reaching age five.

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 Extrapolations based on outdated surveys may not be reliable for monitoring changes in health status or for comparative analytical work.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 under-five deaths in nearby economies

• Angola — 67,003 (2024)
• Benin — 35,304 (2024)
• Botswana — 2,032 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 54,009 (2024)
• Burundi — 21,573 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 72 (2024)
• Cameroon — 61,508 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 20,555 (2024)
• Chad — 78,958 (2024)
• Comoros — 945 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 385,039 (2024)

More health data for Zambia

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 14.71% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.03% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 4.49 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 40.57% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 4.49 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 41.38% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 8.98 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 40.97% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.41% (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Zambia's number of under-five deaths?

32,949 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 11.24% from 29,621 in 1960 (0.17% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 67,971 in 1998 and the lowest 29,621 in 1960.

How does Zambia rank?

32nd highest of 196 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in number of under-five deaths unusual for Zambia?

In 2024, Zambia's number of under-five deaths fell 0% on 2023 (from 32,958 to 32,949). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −2.3% and a typical year strayed about 2.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.DTH.MORT, 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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