Number of infant deaths, female in South Africa
South Africa: Number of infant deaths, female was 12,865 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Number of infant deaths, female in South Africa, 1977–2024
Source: Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of infant deaths, female in South Africa is 12,865, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 48 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.8% on the previous year and down 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of infant deaths, female in South Africa peaked at 43,970 in 1977 and was at its lowest, 12,865, in 2024.
South Africa ranks 29th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Number of infant deaths, female in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 43,970 | — |
| 1978 | 41,776 | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 40,056 | -4.1% |
| 1980 | 38,622 | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 37,528 | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 36,744 | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 36,085 | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 35,425 | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 34,649 | -2.2% |
| 1986 | 33,558 | -3.1% |
| 1987 | 32,465 | -3.3% |
| 1988 | 31,047 | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 29,288 | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 27,378 | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 25,946 | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 24,954 | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 24,234 | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 23,212 | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 22,816 | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 22,976 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 22,436 | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 22,057 | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 22,075 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 21,831 | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 21,718 | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 21,824 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 22,439 | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 23,517 | +4.8% |
| 2005 | 23,990 | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 23,864 | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 23,251 | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 22,453 | -3.4% |
| 2009 | 20,986 | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 19,105 | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 18,233 | -4.6% |
| 2012 | 17,823 | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 17,350 | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 16,738 | -3.5% |
| 2015 | 15,925 | -4.9% |
| 2016 | 14,893 | -6.5% |
| 2017 | 14,024 | -5.8% |
| 2018 | 13,510 | -3.7% |
| 2019 | 13,206 | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 13,014 | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 12,978 | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 12,995 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 12,968 | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 12,865 | -0.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 41,934 | 40,056 | 43,970 | 3 |
| 1980s | 34,541 | 29,288 | 38,622 | 10 |
| 1990s | 23,808 | 22,057 | 27,378 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22,587 | 20,986 | 23,990 | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,081 | 13,206 | 19,105 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12,964 | 12,865 | 13,014 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More education data for South Africa
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 407,696 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 5.50 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.119 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.52 million (2023)
- Enrolment in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth -1.44 % change on previous year (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of infant deaths, female in South Africa?
- Number of infant deaths, female in South Africa was 12,865 in 2024, according to Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.
- What is the highest number of infant deaths, female recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 43,970 in 1977.
- What is the lowest number of infant deaths, female recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,865 in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for number of infant deaths, female?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of infant deaths, female rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org, published as part of Number of infant deaths, female. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Number of female infants dying before reaching one year of age.