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UN IGME · Neonatal Mortality Rate

Neonatal mortality rate by country

How many newborn babies die in their first four weeks of life?

Of the 200 countries compared in 2024, San Marino had the lowest reading, 0.54429, and South Sudan had the highest reading, 39.46577. In the middle country the figure was 8.13406. Among the 92 countries measured in every edition since 1969, the middle one moved from 33.94080 to 8.79083.

Part ofHealth & WellbeingDevelopment & Human Capital

Neonatal mortality rate · 2024

Context statistic

Lowest of 200San Marino

0.54429

012024 · position · derived

Who leads

The three countries at the lowest end of 200 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.

  1. 1

    San Marino

    Southern Europe

    0.54429

    Photo: Matl derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  2. 2

    Belarus

    Eastern Europe

    0.74102

    Photo: zedlik , cropped by Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

  3. 3

    Montenegro

    Southern Europe

    0.83940

    Photo: Dirk.heldmaier Derivative work by Globe-trotter · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale

Highest in 2024

  1. South Sudan39.46577
  2. Nigeria39.04572
  3. Pakistan36.09850

Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.

Lowest on each continent

02Every measured country

Neonatal mortality rate on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a lower value — the better end.

  • 21.24212–39.46577
  • 10.46108–20.94180
  • 6.26354–9.99649
  • 2.75067–5.83860
  • 0.54429–2.70973
  • No reading in 2024
  • Europe

    2.17531

    the middle country, of 43 measured · 49 members

    San Marino0.54429

    Moldova12.32640

    Lowest and highest reading in Europe.

  • Americas

    7.30255

    the middle country, of 39 measured · 48 members

    Turks and Caicos Islands2.41937

    Dominica31.06531

    Lowest and highest reading in Americas.

  • Asia

    7.36128

    the middle country, of 48 measured · 52 members

    Japan0.86775

    Pakistan36.09850

    Lowest and highest reading in Asia.

  • Oceania

    8.83744

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 21 members

    Australia2.27641

    Kiribati21.71298

    Lowest and highest reading in Oceania.

  • Africa

    22.77072

    the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members

    Libya5.20452

    South Sudan39.46577

    Lowest and highest reading in Africa.

22 sub-regions, lowest middle country first
  • Northern Europe

    1.42104

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 13 members

    Estonia0.94624

    United Kingdom3.04190

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Southern Europe

    1.80318

    the middle country, of 15 measured · 17 members

    San Marino0.54429

    Albania6.73519

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Western Europe

    2.25813

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 9 members

    Monaco1.39921

    France2.83730

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Europe.

  • Eastern Europe

    2.52495

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    Belarus0.74102

    Moldova12.32640

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Eastern Asia

    2.59426

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members

    Japan0.86775

    North Korea8.94465

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Western Asia

    5.00861

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Israel1.71477

    Yemen20.88917

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Asia.

  • Polynesia

    7.03270

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members

    Tonga4.14642

    Niue12.43356

    Lowest and highest reading in Polynesia.

  • South America

    7.05969

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members

    Uruguay4.04886

    Guyana15.27914

    Lowest and highest reading in South America.

  • Central America

    7.76754

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    El Salvador4.33506

    Guatemala9.45334

    Lowest and highest reading in Central America.

  • Caribbean

    8.99239

    the middle country, of 17 measured · 24 members

    Turks and Caicos Islands2.41937

    Dominica31.06531

    Lowest and highest reading in Caribbean.

  • South-eastern Asia

    9.15697

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members

    Singapore1.08205

    Timor-Leste21.60673

    Lowest and highest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • Central Asia

    10.79440

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Kazakhstan3.94253

    Turkmenistan22.33632

    Lowest and highest reading in Central Asia.

  • Micronesia

    11.62426

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 7 members

    Nauru4.47141

    Kiribati21.71298

    Lowest and highest reading in Micronesia.

  • Northern Africa

    11.75064

    the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members

    Libya5.20452

    Sudan23.71119

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern Africa.

  • Southern Asia

    15.26957

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Maldives3.67024

    Pakistan36.09850

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Asia.

  • Southern Africa

    21.37811

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    South Africa12.44044

    Lesotho28.49093

    Lowest and highest reading in Southern Africa.

  • Eastern Africa

    21.79125

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Seychelles8.34158

    South Sudan39.46577

    Lowest and highest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Middle Africa

    23.61863

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    São Tomé and Príncipe6.40399

    Chad30.38784

    Lowest and highest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Western Africa

    27.29157

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Cabo Verde8.03560

    Nigeria39.04572

    Lowest and highest reading in Western Africa.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    Australia2.27641

    New Zealand2.67237

    Lowest and highest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Melanesia

    4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu.

    Solomon Islands8.00271

    Papua New Guinea20.06767

    Lowest and highest reading in Melanesia.

  • Northern America

    2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.

    Canada3.38895

    United States3.65238

    Lowest and highest reading in Northern America.

03The whole field at once

The spread

200 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 8.13406; a quarter are above 17.95154, and a quarter below 3.52427. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

5101520253035Africa54 comparedSouth Sudan: 39.46577Nigeria: 39.04572Somalia: 34.24304Zimbabwe: 33.68028Liberia: 32.93693Niger: 32.75072Guinea-Bissau: 31.98101Chad: 30.38784Central African Republic: 29.93299Guinea: 29.79885Lesotho: 28.49093Sierra Leone: 28.26060Mali: 27.99332Côte d’Ivoire: 27.40022Benin: 27.18293Djibouti: 27.07104Equatorial Guinea: 26.28644Ethiopia: 25.23151Mozambique: 25.08004Eswatini: 25.00472Cameroon: 24.76163Burkina Faso: 23.75264Sudan: 23.71119DR Congo: 23.61863Malawi: 23.60399Madagascar: 23.05915Gambia: 22.95141Togo: 22.59002Comoros: 22.14119Zambia: 21.44131Namibia: 21.37811Uganda: 21.33975Senegal: 20.94180Mauritania: 20.81974Kenya: 20.69906Tanzania: 19.90123Burundi: 19.06630Angola: 18.12125Ghana: 18.06903Botswana: 17.64118Rwanda: 17.35127Republic of the Congo: 16.52519Gabon: 16.33856Eritrea: 15.61608Algeria: 14.96338Egypt: 13.85879South Africa: 12.44044Morocco: 9.64249Mauritius: 9.59148Seychelles: 8.34158Cabo Verde: 8.03560Tunisia: 7.74749São Tomé and Príncipe: 6.40399Libya: 5.20452Libya 5.20452South Sudan 39.46577Americas39 comparedDominica: 31.06531Haiti: 22.63186Dominican Republic: 21.24212Guyana: 15.27914Venezuela: 15.02097Jamaica: 13.65311Trinidad and Tobago: 12.63641Grenada: 12.29748Saint Lucia: 11.25147Saint Kitts and Nevis: 9.99649Suriname: 9.66675Guatemala: 9.45334Belize: 9.21250Bahamas: 8.99239Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 8.95164Paraguay: 8.58927Honduras: 8.39932Mexico: 8.23253Bolivia: 7.34150Costa Rica: 7.30255Brazil: 7.12497Ecuador: 6.99441Barbados: 6.62899Peru: 6.51655British Virgin Islands: 6.43579Colombia: 6.26354Nicaragua: 5.30994Panama: 5.29536Antigua and Barbuda: 5.19510Argentina: 5.07135Chile: 4.67784El Salvador: 4.33506Cuba: 4.25537Uruguay: 4.04886United States: 3.65238Canada: 3.38895Montserrat: 3.29945Anguilla: 2.94851Turks and Caicos Islands: 2.41937Turks and Caicos Islands 2.41937Dominica 31.06531Asia48 comparedPakistan: 36.09850Afghanistan: 33.13673Turkmenistan: 22.33632Timor-Leste: 21.60673Yemen: 20.88917Myanmar: 19.60277Bangladesh: 17.91238India: 16.65925Nepal: 15.26957Philippines: 13.61346Laos: 13.12136Iraq: 12.46311Azerbaijan: 12.42946Tajikistan: 11.09975Kyrgyzstan: 10.79440Lebanon: 10.46108Cambodia: 9.52548Syria: 9.50840Indonesia: 9.15697North Korea: 8.94465Palestine: 8.89882Vietnam: 8.84248Uzbekistan: 7.65030Jordan: 7.41376Bhutan: 7.30880Iran: 7.20161Mongolia: 7.16008Oman: 5.78161Brunei: 5.67983Thailand: 5.11123Armenia: 5.06346Georgia: 4.95376Türkiye: 4.63052Bahrain: 4.44485Kuwait: 4.42464Malaysia: 4.27050Sri Lanka: 3.95984Kazakhstan: 3.94253Qatar: 3.80609Maldives: 3.67024Saudi Arabia: 2.86353Cyprus: 2.70973China: 2.59426United Arab Emirates: 2.36079Israel: 1.71477South Korea: 1.16618Singapore: 1.08205Japan: 0.86775Japan 0.86775Pakistan 36.09850Europe43 comparedMoldova: 12.32640Albania: 6.73519Kosovo: 6.56089Ukraine: 4.54849Bosnia and Herzegovina: 4.43272Romania: 3.62318Malta: 3.56937Slovakia: 3.27268United Kingdom: 3.04190Serbia: 2.97173France: 2.83730Switzerland: 2.77408Croatia: 2.75067Denmark: 2.69915Netherlands: 2.62273Ireland: 2.58235Bulgaria: 2.58231Poland: 2.46759Germany: 2.29629Belgium: 2.21996Austria: 2.18071Greece: 2.17531Hungary: 2.05873Russia: 1.99941Lithuania: 1.87071Italy: 1.80318Spain: 1.72517Portugal: 1.69939Luxembourg: 1.45673Iceland: 1.42251Norway: 1.41956Sweden: 1.41523Czechia: 1.40695Monaco: 1.39921Finland: 1.36133Slovenia: 1.28044Andorra: 1.24547Latvia: 1.20068North Macedonia: 1.05475Estonia: 0.94624Montenegro: 0.83940Belarus: 0.74102San Marino: 0.54429San Marino 0.54429 · Moldova 12.32640Oceania16 comparedKiribati: 21.71298Papua New Guinea: 20.06767Fiji: 14.99007Marshall Islands: 12.45395Niue: 12.43356Micronesia: 11.62426Palau: 11.22290Vanuatu: 8.98334Tuvalu: 8.69154Solomon Islands: 8.00271Cook Islands: 7.03270Samoa: 5.83860Nauru: 4.47141Tonga: 4.14642New Zealand: 2.67237Australia: 2.27641Australia 2.27641Kiribati 21.71298middle country 8.13406

04All 200 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first — position 1 is the highest value, the way UN IGME’s own tables read. “=” marks a position shared with another country. UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) ranks nobody on this measure; the position is derived here by ordering the published values. Nothing ties: the estimates carry full precision. Where a country has little registration data its bounds are wide, so two countries a few positions apart may not differ in any way the evidence can show. For India, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Nicaragua, IGME notes that its figures are not the countries' official statistics.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 200 countries

  1. 1 of 200South SudanEastern Africa39.46577range 9.43670–124.29198
  2. 2 of 200NigeriaWestern Africa39.04572range 31.91218–48.08084
  3. 3 of 200PakistanSouthern Asia36.09850range 28.12791–45.90002
  4. 4 of 200SomaliaEastern Africa34.24304range 14.39322–81.86206
  5. 5 of 200ZimbabweEastern Africa33.68028range 22.51751–49.70067
  6. 6 of 200AfghanistanSouthern Asia33.13673range 24.51948–44.86403
  7. 7 of 200LiberiaWestern Africa32.93693range 24.22549–43.80523
  8. 8 of 200NigerWestern Africa32.75072range 23.33163–46.49198
  9. 9 of 200Guinea-BissauWestern Africa31.98101range 16.73622–58.81008
  10. 10 of 200DominicaCaribbean31.06531range 26.50164–36.37604
  11. 11 of 200ChadMiddle Africa30.38784range 18.50258–49.03704
  12. 12 of 200Central African RepublicMiddle Africa29.93299range 20.38295–44.01790
  13. 13 of 200GuineaWestern Africa29.79885range 20.00787–43.81092
  14. 14 of 200LesothoSouthern Africa28.49093range 19.38825–41.08445
  15. 15 of 200Sierra LeoneWestern Africa28.26060range 19.99702–39.15027
  16. 16 of 200MaliWestern Africa27.99332range 22.32118–34.71014
  17. 17 of 200Côte d’IvoireWestern Africa27.40022range 20.67082–35.89619
  18. 18 of 200BeninWestern Africa27.18293range 19.24786–38.09158
  19. 19 of 200DjiboutiEastern Africa27.07104range 13.49101–53.69645
  20. 20 of 200Equatorial GuineaMiddle Africa26.28644range 11.35888–55.65499
  21. 21 of 200EthiopiaEastern Africa25.23151range 17.49162–36.30718
  22. 22 of 200MozambiqueEastern Africa25.08004range 18.94041–33.37653
  23. 23 of 200EswatiniSouthern Africa25.00472range 15.36093–41.32845
  24. 24 of 200CameroonMiddle Africa24.76163range 17.00227–35.78904
  25. 25 of 200Burkina FasoWestern Africa23.75264range 13.35859–41.00750

Values for 2024. The change column compares 2024 with 2023 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

051969–2024 · 56 reference years

Over time

Each point is one year, from 1969 — the first year IGME's estimates cover enough countries to compare. These are modelled estimates, re-estimated in full at every IGME release, and each carries published uncertainty bounds.

1020304050196919761983199019972004201120182024AfricaOceaniaAsiaAmericasEurope
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 92 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
20242008.134063.52427 – 17.951548.79083
20232008.412023.41949 – 18.171159.06315
20222008.736073.47019 – 18.550879.30131
20212008.991973.50714 – 19.122329.53164
20202009.238733.49013 – 19.591309.72160
20192009.556173.75697 – 20.132229.80676
20182009.595893.76575 – 20.6574510.09902
20172009.733213.83526 – 21.4603410.32059
201620010.070484.04669 – 22.5166010.39353
201520010.505084.21654 – 23.2543410.52697
201420010.749824.42045 – 23.3260610.61026
201320010.812374.50962 – 23.1877510.67714
201220010.813084.69296 – 23.3177510.81308
201120010.853334.66944 – 23.1940810.87074
201020011.359364.70560 – 23.6722911.19848
200920011.658054.87450 – 24.3016511.61304
200820012.059014.93278 – 25.0463812.07147
200720012.515095.11502 – 24.9911112.51509
200620012.910775.32571 – 25.9649712.91077
200520013.116005.52062 – 26.9801413.35069
200420013.617005.70073 – 27.2620813.83093
200320014.017475.89717 – 27.9656714.18238
200220014.414526.14957 – 28.9155714.50758
200120015.116936.36078 – 29.3333115.12869
200020015.661806.56775 – 29.7766115.66666
199920016.193337.00320 – 30.3065515.96818
199820016.581527.51568 – 30.8961416.26265
199720016.986787.87605 – 31.5556916.76245
199620017.678488.35051 – 32.3678917.28207
199520018.295638.59035 – 33.3507217.86720
199420018.716309.26301 – 34.2927718.10768
199320018.964189.67888 – 34.4512717.85578
199220019.659129.91931 – 35.3555518.48022
199120019.8443910.21994 – 36.3337419.57796
199020020.6018310.63721 – 37.2890521.13190
198920021.1447810.96503 – 38.0398622.26081
198815522.714829.53557 – 39.5662822.69596
198715323.4221410.02360 – 40.0539723.32972
198615023.8305010.71990 – 40.5501223.96292
198514624.0184310.95874 – 41.0384324.60722
198414224.4004411.05943 – 42.8994425.30688
198314024.8531811.18979 – 44.0330226.05995
198213625.2577811.91217 – 44.1642226.73920
198112826.2768013.27936 – 45.2144527.65467
198012727.2103214.29002 – 47.1016128.61708
197912528.0957115.49734 – 47.3433429.38981
197812228.1940515.31264 – 48.0687730.00782
197712129.6792015.78178 – 49.7631030.57828
197611528.2775915.66728 – 51.1362331.14090
197511328.7743916.00555 – 51.8370831.71533
197411032.3048917.10426 – 52.9901132.30489
197310732.3010117.99626 – 54.3512932.34722
197210430.2578218.18469 – 53.4736232.42302
197110031.1021618.01564 – 54.8556632.50875
19709631.9778518.79566 – 55.1275533.18627
19699233.9408018.81545 – 56.0654933.94080

062023 → 2024

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Improved most

before → after
  1. Nicaragua7.09631 → 5.30994 · 112th → 124th−1.78637
  2. Pakistan37.03377 → 36.09850 · 3rd → 3rd−0.93527
  3. India17.53567 → 16.65925 · 54th → 54th−0.87642
  4. Panama6.13338 → 5.29536 · 122nd → 125th−0.83802
  5. Afghanistan33.90410 → 33.13673 · 5th → 6th−0.76736

Worsened most

before → after
  1. Lebanon10.15943 → 10.46108 · 81st → 80th+0.30165
  2. Costa Rica7.05065 → 7.30255 · 114th → 108th+0.25190
  3. Romania3.38159 → 3.62318 · 152nd → 149th+0.24159
  4. South Africa12.20636 → 12.44044 · 73rd → 70th+0.23408
  5. Cyprus2.49405 → 2.70973 · 169th → 161st+0.21568

200 countries were measured in both 2023 and 2024.

07Across every edition

Neonatal mortality rate in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The measure

About neonatal mortality rate

The neonatal mortality rate is how many babies out of every thousand born alive die in their first 28 days. Most deaths in the first year of life happen in this first month, which makes it the measure most directly tied to care at birth — a skilled attendant, a clean delivery, warmth, and help with breathing and infection.

What the number is: Deaths in the first 28 days (per 1,000 live births).

09Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under Health & Wellbeing and Development & Human Capital, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

Health & WellbeingDevelopment & Human CapitalWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where neonatal mortality rate is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where neonatal mortality rate is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 312 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

10Keep reading

Explore further

More from UN IGME

11Questions

Neonatal mortality rate: questions and answers

Which country has the lowest neonatal mortality rate?

San Marino, at 0.54429, among the 200 countries compared in 2024.

Which country has the highest neonatal mortality rate?

South Sudan, at 39.46577, among the 200 countries compared in 2024.

How many countries does the Neonatal Mortality Rate cover?

200 in 2024. The number measured varies from 92 to 200 between editions.

What is the world average neonatal mortality rate?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 200 compared in 2024, the figure was 8.13406.

Is this UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)’s own ranking?

No. UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) publishes the values but ranks nobody; the position on this page is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values, and equal values share a position.

How often is the Neonatal Mortality Rate published?

This site holds 56 reference years, 1969–2024, all recalculated in UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)’s 2025 report on one method — not 56 separate publications.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME), under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, read out of UNICEF’s own SDMX warehouse (CME_MRM0) — the same route as under-five and infant mortality — rather than the World Bank’s copy, which rounds to one decimal. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

12Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Neonatal Mortality Rate — UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME)

From the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, read out of UNICEF’s own SDMX warehouse (CME_MRM0) — the same route as under-five and infant mortality — rather than the World Bank’s copy, which rounds to one decimal.

Newest edition

Report year 2024Data year 2024

Cite the source as: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels and Trends in Child Mortality. New York: UNICEF.

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-29.

The full 2024 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) ranks nobody on this measure. The position is derived by Nations Inquiry by ordering the published values; equal values share a position.
  • Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Photographs

The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Neonatal mortality rate by country: Neonatal Mortality Rate, data from UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME). https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/neonatal-mortality

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