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Photo: Stig Nygaard derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 05 of 12 · Country Index 2026
Mozambique: Health & Wellbeing
How long, and how well fed, do people live?
Mozambique is placed 191st of 201 countries on health & wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Life Expectancy at Birth 63.61 (2023); Under-Five Mortality Rate 59.42 (2024).
Health & Wellbeing
191st
of 201 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
- 63.61Life Expectancy at Birth, 2023Years a newborn would live at current death rates
- 59.42Under-Five Mortality Rate, 2024Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
- 2,198Dietary Energy Supply, 2024Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)
- —Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, 2023No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Mozambique on health & wellbeing — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country in that edition, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Life Expectancy at Birth
UN DESA Population Division
Why it is a key: How long people actually live — the one measure of adult health on this site. Child mortality, which it correlates with, is a measure of a health system's reach in the first five years; this is the whole span.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
63.61
Years a newborn would live at current death rates
Higher is better
Mozambique: 63.61. Across the 222 countries in this edition, values run from 54.46 (Nigeria) to 86.37 (Monaco); the world median is 74.63.
- World median
- 74.63
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 74.93 Mauritius
- Land neighbours
- Malawi 67.35 · Eswatini 64.12 · Tanzania 67 · South Africa 66.14 · Zambia 66.35 · Zimbabwe 62.77
Each grey tick is one of 222 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 2 of 4
Under-Five Mortality Rate
UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)
Why it is a key: Deaths before a fifth birthday, the most widely used summary of whether a health system reaches people.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
59.42
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)
Lower is better
Mozambique: 59.42. Across the 200 countries in this edition, values run from 1.26 (San Marino) to 115.65 (Nigeria); the world median is 14.54.
- World median
- 14.54
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 13.96 Seychelles
- Land neighbours
- Malawi 48.78 · Eswatini 45.12 · Tanzania 37 · South Africa 35.06 · Zambia 48.37 · Zimbabwe 64.66
Each grey tick is one of 200 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Dietary Energy Supply
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: Whether the food supply covers what the population needs to eat.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
2,198
Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)
Higher is better
Mozambique: 2,198. Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.
- World median
- 2,982
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 3,319 Mauritius
- Land neighbours
- Malawi 2,532 · Eswatini 2,589 · Tanzania 2,527 · South Africa 2,659 · Zambia 2,061 · Zimbabwe 2,410
Each grey tick is one of 155 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: The share of people who went without food, established by asking them rather than by modelling the supply.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Population in severe food insecurity (%)
Lower is better
FAO publishes no 2023 figure for Mozambique, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 133 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Armenia) to 63.1 (South Sudan); the world median is 4.7.
- World median
- 4.7
- Best in Eastern Africa
- 12.2 Mauritius
- Land neighbours
- Malawi 55.6 · Eswatini 22.2 · Tanzania 24.4 · South Africa 8.5 · Zambia 17.2 · Zimbabwe 25.1
Each grey tick is one of 133 countries in the 2023 edition.
02Over time
Which way Mozambique is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Life Expectancy at Birth
Years a newborn would live at current death rates · higher is better
MozambiqueWorld median
Mozambique rose from 49.48 in 2000 to 63.61 in 2023; the world median went from 70.68 to 74.63.
Every year’s figures
Year Mozambique World median 2023 63.6 74.630 2022 63.0 74.313 2021 60.3 72.433 2020 61.4 73.063 2019 61.3 74.196 2018 60.8 74.081 2017 60.1 74.029 2016 59.5 74.013 2015 58.7 73.783 2014 58.0 73.330 2013 57.2 73.386 2012 56.5 73.210 2011 55.7 73.003 2010 55.0 72.827 2009 54.4 72.426 2008 53.8 72.264 2007 53.3 72.113 2006 52.7 72.027 2005 52.3 71.876 2004 51.9 71.477 2003 51.4 71.409 2002 50.9 71.173 2001 50.3 70.926 2000 49.5 70.678 Under-Five Mortality Rate
Deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) · lower is better
MozambiqueWorld median
Mozambique fell from 164.62 in 2000 to 59.42 in 2024; the world median went from 30.43 to 14.54.
Every year’s figures
Year Mozambique World median 2024 59 14.5 2023 62 15.2 2022 64 14.7 2021 66 15.1 2020 68 15.3 2019 69 15.7 2018 70 16.3 2017 72 16.8 2016 73 17.5 2015 76 17.9 2014 80 18.3 2013 83 18.7 2012 86 18.8 2011 91 19.0 2010 96 19.2 2009 98 20.8 2008 104 20.7 2007 111 21.8 2006 119 22.8 2005 126 24.0 2004 133 25.9 2003 140 26.9 2002 147 28.0 2001 156 29.1 2000 165 30.4 Dietary Energy Supply
Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day) · higher is better
MozambiqueWorld median
Mozambique rose from 2,067 in 2001 to 2,198 in 2024; the world median went from 2,628 to 2,982.
Every year’s figures
Year Mozambique World median 2024 2,198 2,982.0 2023 2,218 2,969.0 2022 2,211 2,962.5 2021 2,205 2,967.0 2020 2,160 2,934.0 2019 2,123 2,912.5 2018 2,050 2,893.0 2017 1,957 2,886.0 2016 1,902 2,863.0 2015 1,930 2,835.0 2014 2,052 2,844.0 2013 2,175 2,856.0 2012 2,290 2,838.0 2011 2,345 2,827.5 2010 2,360 2,808.0 2009 2,334 2,818.0 2008 2,304 2,811.0 2007 2,273 2,810.5 2006 2,243 2,772.0 2005 2,212 2,740.5 2004 2,182 2,712.5 2003 2,145 2,685.0 2002 2,100 2,667.0 2001 2,067 2,628.0
03In context
Mozambique beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 201 countries on health & wellbeing, never a place within the region.
1st201stNot placed · 23 countries with too few key statisticsNo data
Mozambique and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 201 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Life Expectancy at BirthYears a newborn would live at current death rates | Under-Five Mortality RateDeaths before age five (per 1,000 live births) | Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day) | Prevalence of Severe Food InsecurityPopulation in severe food insecurity (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Africa | 153rd | 66.14 | 35.06 | 2,659 | 8.5 |
 Tanzania | 169th | 67 | 37 | 2,527 | 24.4 |
 Eswatini | 173rd | 64.12 | 45.12 | 2,589 | 22.2 |
 Malawi | 179th | 67.35 | 48.78 | 2,532 | 55.6 |
 Zambia | 181st | 66.35 | 48.37 | 2,061 | 17.2 |
 Zimbabwe | 188th | 62.77 | 64.66 | 2,410 | 25.1 |
| Mozambique | 191st | 63.61 | 59.42 | 2,198 | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Eastern Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 201.
Placed either side on health & wellbeing
The countries immediately above and below Mozambique in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Mozambique is ahead of the world, and behind
14 more statistics filed under health & wellbeing, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median2
Statistics on which Mozambique does better than the middle country measured.
Violent Discipline of ChildrenUNICEF · 2025 · world median 75.855.475.8No earlier reading
Mozambique: 55.4 · world median 75.8 · Children aged 1-14 experiencing violent discipline (%). UNICEF, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 37.6 to 94; lower is better.
Position 78th of 90 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six MonthsUNICEF · 2024 · world median 40.7455.540.74No earlier reading
Mozambique: 55.5 · world median 40.74 · Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed (%). UNICEF, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3.497 to 83.3; higher is better.
Position 30th of 136 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median10
Statistics on which Mozambique does worse than the middle country measured.
Global Violent DeathsSmall Arms Survey · 2021 · world median 4.024.044.02▼ Worsened since 2011
Mozambique: 4.04 · world median 4.02 · Violent deaths per 100,000 people. Small Arms Survey, 2021 edition, data for 2021.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 112.28; lower is better.
Position 104th of 206 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Global Report on Food CrisesFSIN · 2024 · world median 222422▲ Improved since 2016
Mozambique: 24 · world median 22 · In IPC Phase 3+ (% of analysed population). Food Security Information Network (FSIN), 2025 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 3 to 56; lower is better.
Position 19th of 44 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Maternal Mortality RatioMMEIG · 2023 · world median 46.6582.2246.65▲ Improved since 2013
Mozambique: 82.22 · world median 46.65 · Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.11 to 992.83; lower is better.
Position 72nd of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
INFORM Severity IndexACAPS · 2025 · world median 3.13.63.1▼ Worsened since 2020
Mozambique: 3.6 · world median 3.1 · INFORM Severity (1–5, most severe crisis). ACAPS, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.3 to 4.7; lower is better.
Position 25th of 81 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.3510.4790.351▲ Improved since 2013
Mozambique: 0.479 · world median 0.351 · GII (0 = full equality, 1 = maximum inequality). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.003 to 0.838; lower is better.
Ranked 120th of 172 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Prevalence of UndernourishmentFAO · 2023 · world median 5.221.85.2▲ Improved since 2013
Mozambique: 21.8 · world median 5.2 · Population undernourished (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 2.5 to 54.2; lower is better.
Position 22nd of 104 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Global Multidimensional Poverty IndexOPHI · 2025 · world median 0.0390.3340.039No real change since 2018
Mozambique: 0.334 · world median 0.039 · MPI (0–1). Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 0.517; lower is better.
Position 12th of 109 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Stunting Prevalence in Children Under FiveUNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates) · 2024 · world median 13.836.7313.8No earlier reading
Mozambique: 36.73 · world median 13.8 · Children under 5 who are stunted (%). UNICEF, WHO and World Bank Group (Joint Malnutrition Estimates), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.518 to 52.8; lower is better.
Position 16th of 162 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Human Development IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 2023 · world median 0.7620.4930.762No real change since 2013
Mozambique: 0.493 · world median 0.762 · HDI score (0–1). UNDP Human Development Report Office, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.388 to 0.972; higher is better.
Ranked 182nd of 193 by UNDP Human Development Report Office.
Human Capital IndexWorld Bank Group · 2020 · world median 0.5640.3620.564▼ Worsened since 2017
Mozambique: 0.362 · world median 0.564 · HCI score (0–1). World Bank Group, 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.292 to 0.879; higher is better.
Position 165th of 172 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end2
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Pesticide Use per HectareFAO · 2024 · world median 1.730.381.73Moved since 2014
Mozambique: 0.38 · world median 1.73 · Pesticide use (kg per hectare of cropland). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 37.72.
Position 146th of 178 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Average Weekly Hours WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 38.8932.4938.89Moved since 2015
Mozambique: 32.49 · world median 38.89 · Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.64 to 54.7.
Position 153rd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Mozambique
Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff (last 2015), Children with Functional Difficulties, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence and Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Health & Wellbeing among Mozambique’s 12 topics
Health & Wellbeing is Mozambique’s 11th best-placed topic of 12. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 27th of 1613/3 keys
- Work & Labour66th of 1824/4 keys
- Gender & Equality96th of 1783/3 keys
- Peace & Security134th of 1773/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions154th of 1935/5 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties158th of 1983/3 keys
- Mobility & Connectivity120th of 1472/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience158th of 1913/3 keys
- Development & Human Capital171st of 1943/3 keys
- Economy & Innovation140th of 1503/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeing191st of 2013/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge180th of 1822/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on health & wellbeing
The three countries placed highest of 201, and the leaders Mozambique can most readily be measured against.
1
San MarinoSouthern Europe
1st of 201 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Matl derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
MonacoWestern Europe
2nd of 201 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
AndorraSouthern Europe
3rd of 201 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest placed on all 4 keys
Italy4th4/4 keysHighest in Africa
Tunisia82nd4/4 keysHighest in Eastern Africa
Mauritius100th4/4 keysThis page
Mozambique191st3/4 keys
Positions out of 201 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Mozambique and health & wellbeing
On health & wellbeing
Global Hunger Index 2025: Countries with the Most Alarming Hunger Crisis
Thirteen countries scored across four editions — 2000, 2008, 2016 and 2025 — and five the report could not score at all. DR Congo and South Sudan share 121st place on 37.5.
On health & wellbeing
World Happiness Report 2025: Finland Leads Again as the US and UK Face Major Declines
The ten highest life evaluations of 2025, drawn on a world map, and the six things the report uses to explain them. Costa Rica and Mexico are the only two outside Europe and the Middle East.
08Questions
Mozambique on health & wellbeing: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Mozambique rank on health & wellbeing?
Mozambique is placed 191st of 201 countries on Health & Wellbeing in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Life Expectancy at Birth, Under-Five Mortality Rate and Dietary Energy Supply). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Life Expectancy at Birth figure for Mozambique?
63.61 in 2023 (years a newborn would live at current death rates), according to UN DESA Population Division. The world median in the same edition was 74.63.
What is the latest Under-Five Mortality Rate figure for Mozambique?
59.42 in 2024 (deaths before age five (per 1,000 live births)), according to UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). The world median in the same edition was 14.54.
How does Mozambique compare with Tanzania on health & wellbeing?
Tanzania is placed 169th of 201, and Mozambique 191st. Life Expectancy at Birth: Tanzania 67, Mozambique 63.61; Under-Five Mortality Rate: Tanzania 37, Mozambique 59.42; Dietary Energy Supply: Tanzania 2,527, Mozambique 2,198.
How have Mozambique’s health & wellbeing figures changed?
Life Expectancy at Birth rose from 49.48 in 2000 to 63.61 in 2023; Under-Five Mortality Rate fell from 164.62 in 2000 to 59.42 in 2024; Dietary Energy Supply rose from 2,067 in 2001 to 2,198 in 2024.
Which health & wellbeing statistics are missing for Mozambique?
No current reading is published for Mozambique on Births Attended by Skilled Health Staff, Children with Functional Difficulties, Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Genital Mutilation Prevalence and Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
Mozambique, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions154th of 193
- Economy & Innovation140th of 150
- Work & Labour66th of 182
- Education & Knowledge180th of 182
- Development & Human Capital171st of 194
- Environment & Sustainability=27th of 161
- Gender & Equality96th of 178
- Democracy & Civil Liberties158th of 198
- Peace & Security134th of 177
- Risk & Resilience158th of 191
- Mobility & Connectivity120th of 147
- The full Mozambique profile
Nearby, on health & wellbeing
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Health spending, hospital beds and doctors per person are not measured, because more of any of them does not guarantee better outcomes. Mental health and self-reported happiness are not part of this topic. Child nutrition, maternal mortality and many other indicators are published here as context; maternal mortality is a key in Development & Human Capital instead.
How the Health & Wellbeing standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 18 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2024, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 201 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Life Expectancy at Birth — UN DESA Population Division, CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Under-Five Mortality Rate — UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Dietary Energy Supply — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
- Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 14 statistics on this page come from 11 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Mozambique’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Mozambique (banner) — Stig Nygaard derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
- San Marino — Matl derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Monaco — Martin Weber derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Andorra — Tiia Monto derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Mozambique: Health & Wellbeing — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/mozambique/health