Countries by infant mortality rate
South Sudan had the highest infant mortality rate of 195 countries in 2016, at 169.8 per 1,000 live births. San Marino had the lowest, at 1.7 per 1,000 live births. The median was 15 per 1,000 live births and the figure for the World was 30.6 per 1,000 live births. Source: the World Bank.
Top 40 countries, 2016
Full ranking
| Rank | Countries | 2016 | Change on 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 169.8 | +18.5 |
| 2 | Somalia | 81.5 | -2.2 |
| 3 | Central African Republic | 77.1 | +5.1 |
| 4 | Sierra Leone | 71.3 | -5.6 |
| 5 | Chad | 70.2 | -1.9 |
| 6 | Guinea | 69.9 | -1.3 |
| 7 | Niger | 69.2 | +0.1 |
| 8 | Lesotho | 68.2 | -0.8 |
| 9 | Nigeria | 68.1 | +0.1 |
| 10 | Liberia | 64.2 | -0.9 |
| 11 | Mali | 64 | -2.1 |
| 12 | Afghanistan | 61.9 | -2.1 |
| 13 | Pakistan | 61.7 | -1.9 |
| 14 | Equatorial Guinea | 60.9 | -2 |
| 15 | Côte d’Ivoire | 56.9 | -1.5 |
| 16 | Benin | 55.8 | -1.2 |
| 17 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 55.1 | 0 |
| 18 | Djibouti | 55 | -1.6 |
| 19 | Burkina Faso | 54.7 | -1.6 |
| 20 | Zimbabwe | 54.3 | -0.4 |
| 21 | Guinea-Bissau | 53.4 | -1.8 |
| 22 | Mozambique | 52.8 | -1 |
| 23 | Cameroon | 51.4 | -1.9 |
| 24 | Eswatini | 51.3 | -2.8 |
| 25 | Haiti | 48.5 | -1.2 |
| 26 | Sudan | 47.2 | -1.2 |
| 27 | Ethiopia | 45.9 | -2 |
| 28 | Namibia | 45.3 | 0 |
| 29 | Togo | 44 | -1.4 |
| 30 | Madagascar | 43.6 | 0 |
| 31 | Kiribati | 42.9 | +0.3 |
| 32 | Botswana | 42.8 | -1.4 |
| 33 | Myanmar | 42.6 | -1.5 |
| 34 | Timor-Leste | 42.5 | -1.1 |
| 35 | Gambia | 42.1 | -1.4 |
| 36 | Comoros | 42 | -0.8 |
| 37 | Yemen | 40.7 | -0.9 |
| 38 | Zambia | 40.6 | -1.8 |
| 39 | Burundi | 40 | -1.8 |
| 40 | Papua New Guinea | 39.4 | -4.2 |
| 41 | Tanzania | 39.3 | -1.5 |
| 42 | Malawi | 39.1 | -0.6 |
| 42 | Uganda | 39.1 | -1.2 |
| 44 | Kenya | 38.4 | -0.5 |
| 45 | Laos | 38.1 | -1.8 |
| 46 | Angola | 37.6 | -1.2 |
| 46 | Mauritania | 37.6 | -0.9 |
| 48 | Senegal | 36.8 | -0.5 |
| 49 | Ghana | 36.6 | -1.3 |
| 50 | India | 34.6 | -1.7 |
| 51 | Republic of the Congo | 34.2 | -1.1 |
| 52 | Turkmenistan | 34.1 | +0.2 |
| 53 | Rwanda | 33.2 | -0.7 |
| 54 | Gabon | 32.6 | -1.1 |
| 55 | Eritrea | 31.3 | -1.1 |
| 56 | Dominican Republic | 31.2 | +0.2 |
| 57 | Nepal | 31 | -1.4 |
| 58 | Guyana | 29.6 | -0.8 |
| 59 | Marshall Islands | 28.6 | -0.8 |
| 60 | Bangladesh | 28.5 | -1.3 |
| 61 | South Africa | 28 | -1.3 |
| 62 | Dominica | 27.8 | +1 |
| 63 | Iraq | 25.9 | -0.7 |
| 63 | Micronesia | 25.9 | -0.8 |
| 65 | Tajikistan | 25.8 | -0.5 |
| 66 | Cambodia | 24.1 | -1.7 |
| 67 | Egypt | 23.7 | -0.4 |
| 67 | Syria | 23.7 | -1.8 |
| 69 | Guatemala | 22.3 | -0.8 |
| 70 | Philippines | 22.2 | +0.1 |
| 71 | Bolivia | 22.1 | -1.4 |
| 72 | Algeria | 21.6 | -0.3 |
| 72 | Bhutan | 21.6 | -1.3 |
| 74 | Tuvalu | 21.5 | -0.7 |
| 75 | Venezuela | 21.2 | +4.7 |
| 76 | Indonesia | 21 | -0.9 |
| 77 | Morocco | 20.3 | -1.1 |
| 78 | Trinidad and Tobago | 20.2 | -0.4 |
| 79 | Azerbaijan | 19.8 | -1.3 |
| 80 | Solomon Islands | 19.7 | -0.3 |
| 81 | Palau | 18.8 | +0.6 |
| 82 | Paraguay | 18.7 | -0.6 |
| 83 | Suriname | 18.6 | -0.4 |
| 84 | Kyrgyzstan | 18.4 | -1 |
| 85 | Uzbekistan | 17.4 | -1.2 |
| 86 | Jamaica | 17.1 | -0.1 |
| 87 | Fiji | 16.8 | +0.7 |
| 87 | Saint Lucia | 16.8 | -0.1 |
| 89 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 16.7 | -0.2 |
| 90 | Honduras | 16.5 | -0.5 |
| 90 | North Korea | 16.5 | -0.7 |
| 92 | Cape Verde | 16.2 | -1.4 |
| 93 | Grenada | 16.1 | +0.4 |
| 94 | Tunisia | 15.8 | -0.2 |
| 95 | Vanuatu | 15.3 | -0.1 |
| 96 | Palestine | 15.2 | -0.6 |
| 96 | Vietnam | 15.2 | -0.3 |
| 98 | Mongolia | 15 | -0.7 |
| 99 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 14.8 | -0.7 |
| 100 | Jordan | 14.7 | -0.3 |
| 100 | Mexico | 14.7 | -0.3 |
| 100 | Nauru | 14.7 | -1.5 |
| 103 | Brazil | 14.6 | +0.9 |
| 103 | Samoa | 14.6 | -0.2 |
| 105 | Nicaragua | 14.2 | -0.8 |
| 106 | Moldova | 14.1 | -0.1 |
| 107 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 14 | -1.2 |
| 108 | British Virgin Islands | 13.9 | -0.2 |
| 109 | Colombia | 13.5 | -0.4 |
| 109 | Iran | 13.5 | -0.5 |
| 109 | Panama | 13.5 | -0.1 |
| 112 | Peru | 13.4 | -0.4 |
| 113 | Seychelles | 13.3 | +0.1 |
| 114 | Mauritius | 13 | +0.1 |
| 115 | Belize | 12.6 | -0.5 |
| 116 | Ecuador | 12.5 | -0.4 |
| 117 | Armenia | 12.2 | -0.6 |
| 117 | Bahamas | 12.2 | -0.1 |
| 119 | El Salvador | 12 | -0.6 |
| 120 | Barbados | 11.5 | -0.2 |
| 120 | Lebanon | 11.5 | +0.2 |
| 122 | Türkiye | 10.5 | -0.5 |
| 123 | Libya | 10.2 | -0.4 |
| 124 | Thailand | 9.8 | -0.3 |
| 125 | Argentina | 9.7 | -0.3 |
| 126 | North Macedonia | 9.4 | -0.4 |
| 126 | Tonga | 9.4 | -0.2 |
| 128 | Brunei | 9.1 | +0.1 |
| 129 | Oman | 9 | 0 |
| 130 | Ukraine | 8.9 | -0.3 |
| 131 | Kazakhstan | 8.8 | -0.7 |
| 132 | Georgia | 8.7 | -0.2 |
| 133 | Antigua and Barbuda | 8.4 | -0.2 |
| 134 | Maldives | 8 | -0.5 |
| 135 | Costa Rica | 7.7 | -0.1 |
| 135 | Kuwait | 7.7 | -0.1 |
| 137 | Albania | 7.6 | 0 |
| 137 | China | 7.6 | -0.6 |
| 139 | Romania | 7.1 | -0.6 |
| 139 | Uruguay | 7.1 | -0.4 |
| 141 | Sri Lanka | 7 | -0.4 |
| 142 | Saudi Arabia | 6.8 | -0.5 |
| 143 | Chile | 6.7 | -0.1 |
| 143 | Malaysia | 6.7 | 0 |
| 145 | Bulgaria | 6.4 | -0.4 |
| 146 | Bahrain | 6.3 | 0 |
| 147 | Qatar | 6.2 | -0.2 |
| 148 | Russia | 6 | -0.6 |
| 149 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5.9 | 0 |
| 150 | United Arab Emirates | 5.8 | -0.3 |
| 151 | Malta | 5.7 | -0.1 |
| 151 | United States | 5.7 | -0.1 |
| 153 | Serbia | 5.2 | -0.2 |
| 154 | Slovakia | 5.1 | -0.1 |
| 155 | Cuba | 4.9 | +0.1 |
| 156 | Canada | 4.6 | 0 |
| 156 | New Zealand | 4.6 | -0.1 |
| 158 | Croatia | 4.1 | -0.1 |
| 158 | Poland | 4.1 | -0.1 |
| 160 | Hungary | 4 | -0.2 |
| 160 | Latvia | 4 | -0.3 |
| 160 | Lithuania | 4 | -0.1 |
| 163 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 3.9 | -0.2 |
| 164 | United Kingdom | 3.8 | -0.1 |
| 165 | Switzerland | 3.7 | 0 |
| 166 | Greece | 3.6 | 0 |
| 167 | Denmark | 3.5 | 0 |
| 167 | Netherlands | 3.5 | 0 |
| 169 | Belgium | 3.4 | 0 |
| 170 | Germany | 3.3 | 0 |
| 171 | Andorra | 3.2 | -0.1 |
| 171 | Australia | 3.2 | -0.1 |
| 171 | France | 3.2 | 0 |
| 171 | Montenegro | 3.2 | -0.3 |
| 175 | Ireland | 3.1 | -0.1 |
| 175 | Israel | 3.1 | 0 |
| 177 | Austria | 3 | -0.1 |
| 178 | Belarus | 2.9 | -0.2 |
| 178 | Italy | 2.9 | -0.1 |
| 178 | Portugal | 2.9 | 0 |
| 181 | Monaco | 2.8 | -0.1 |
| 181 | South Korea | 2.8 | -0.1 |
| 183 | Spain | 2.7 | 0 |
| 184 | Czechia | 2.6 | 0 |
| 185 | Estonia | 2.3 | -0.1 |
| 185 | Sweden | 2.3 | 0 |
| 187 | Cyprus | 2.1 | 0 |
| 187 | Luxembourg | 2.1 | 0 |
| 187 | Norway | 2.1 | -0.1 |
| 187 | Singapore | 2.1 | -0.1 |
| 187 | Slovenia | 2.1 | 0 |
| 192 | Finland | 2 | 0 |
| 192 | Iceland | 2 | 0 |
| 192 | Japan | 2 | 0 |
| 195 | San Marino | 1.7 | -0.1 |
Other periods
About this ranking
Deaths of infants before their first birthday per 1,000 live births in the year.
Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.
How to cite
World Bank, World Development Indicators, modelled estimate. Mortality rate, infant, per 1,000 live births (SP.DYN.IMRT.IN). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN. Retrieved 2026-10-11.Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
Rank Countries by infant mortality rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"infant_mortality_rate","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=infant_mortality_rate&level=country&limit=10Questions
Which country has the highest infant mortality rate?
South Sudan, with 169.8 per 1,000 live births in 2016, according to the World Bank.
Which country has the lowest infant mortality rate?
San Marino, with 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2016.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Mortality rate, infant, per 1,000 live births (SP.DYN.IMRT.IN). Retrieved 2026-10-11.