Countries by under-five mortality rate
South Sudan had the highest under-five mortality rate of 195 countries in 2017, at 292 per 1,000 live births. San Marino had the lowest, at 1.7 per 1,000 live births. The median was 17.3 per 1,000 live births and the figure for the World was 40.9 per 1,000 live births. Source: the World Bank.
Top 40 countries, 2017
Full ranking
| Rank | Countries | 2017 | Change on 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Sudan | 292 | +19.1 |
| 2 | Somalia | 156.4 | +26.2 |
| 3 | Central African Republic | 155.2 | +28.4 |
| 4 | Niger | 123.1 | -1.2 |
| 5 | Chad | 121.4 | -3.6 |
| 6 | Nigeria | 117.2 | -0.2 |
| 7 | Sierra Leone | 117 | -4.8 |
| 8 | Guinea | 109.5 | -1.9 |
| 9 | Mali | 100.6 | -4.5 |
| 10 | Burkina Faso | 94.1 | -3.3 |
| 11 | Benin | 91.8 | -2.2 |
| 12 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 91.5 | 0 |
| 13 | Liberia | 90.3 | -1.2 |
| 14 | Equatorial Guinea | 86.1 | -2.9 |
| 15 | Guinea-Bissau | 85.1 | -3.1 |
| 16 | Cameroon | 81.9 | -3.2 |
| 17 | Côte d’Ivoire | 80.5 | -2.5 |
| 18 | Mozambique | 72 | -1.3 |
| 19 | Togo | 70.4 | -2.4 |
| 20 | Lesotho | 70.1 | -1.3 |
| 20 | Pakistan | 70.1 | -2.3 |
| 22 | Afghanistan | 67.1 | -2.3 |
| 23 | Haiti | 65.3 | -1.9 |
| 24 | Madagascar | 64.9 | 0 |
| 25 | Djibouti | 61.2 | -2 |
| 26 | Burundi | 60.9 | -2.8 |
| 27 | Sudan | 59.7 | -1.9 |
| 28 | Kiribati | 59.6 | +0.5 |
| 29 | Ethiopia | 58.4 | -2.9 |
| 30 | Angola | 57.9 | -1.7 |
| 31 | Timor-Leste | 57.3 | -1.4 |
| 32 | Zimbabwe | 56.7 | -0.8 |
| 33 | Zambia | 55.2 | -1.9 |
| 34 | Gambia | 54.3 | -2.3 |
| 35 | Uganda | 54 | -1.6 |
| 36 | Malawi | 53.8 | -2 |
| 37 | Eswatini | 53.6 | -0.8 |
| 38 | Namibia | 49.8 | -1.6 |
| 38 | Tanzania | 49.8 | -2.2 |
| 40 | Senegal | 49.4 | -1.4 |
| 41 | Republic of the Congo | 49.3 | -1.7 |
| 42 | Papua New Guinea | 48.9 | -1.5 |
| 43 | Ghana | 48.2 | -2.1 |
| 44 | Yemen | 47.5 | -0.4 |
| 45 | Comoros | 46.9 | -1 |
| 46 | Myanmar | 46.8 | -1.9 |
| 47 | Mauritania | 46.2 | -1.5 |
| 48 | Kenya | 44.7 | -0.8 |
| 48 | Rwanda | 44.7 | -1.1 |
| 50 | Turkmenistan | 43.8 | +0.3 |
| 51 | Eritrea | 43.3 | -1.4 |
| 52 | Botswana | 42.1 | -3 |
| 53 | Gabon | 41.4 | -1.3 |
| 54 | Laos | 40.2 | -2 |
| 55 | India | 39 | -2.3 |
| 56 | South Africa | 35.7 | -1.1 |
| 57 | Bangladesh | 35 | -1.7 |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | 34.9 | 0 |
| 59 | Nepal | 34.2 | -1.8 |
| 60 | Marshall Islands | 33.2 | -1 |
| 61 | Syria | 32.9 | +0.7 |
| 62 | Guyana | 31.4 | -1 |
| 63 | Dominica | 31.1 | +0.9 |
| 64 | Tajikistan | 31 | -0.5 |
| 65 | Micronesia | 28.1 | -0.8 |
| 66 | Philippines | 27.8 | 0 |
| 67 | Iraq | 27.5 | -0.9 |
| 68 | Guatemala | 26.1 | -0.9 |
| 69 | Bhutan | 25.8 | -1.6 |
| 70 | Cambodia | 25.6 | -1.9 |
| 70 | Egypt | 25.6 | -0.4 |
| 72 | Azerbaijan | 25.1 | -1.4 |
| 73 | Tuvalu | 24.3 | -0.9 |
| 74 | Venezuela | 24.2 | 0 |
| 75 | Solomon Islands | 24.1 | -0.5 |
| 76 | Algeria | 24 | -0.5 |
| 77 | Indonesia | 23.8 | -1.2 |
| 78 | Bolivia | 23.4 | -1.6 |
| 79 | Fiji | 22.7 | +1.1 |
| 80 | Palau | 22.5 | +0.6 |
| 81 | Trinidad and Tobago | 22 | -0.3 |
| 82 | Vietnam | 20.9 | -0.4 |
| 83 | Morocco | 20.8 | -1.1 |
| 84 | Paraguay | 20.5 | -0.7 |
| 85 | Kyrgyzstan | 20 | -1.1 |
| 86 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 19.6 | -1.7 |
| 87 | Suriname | 19.5 | -0.6 |
| 88 | North Korea | 19.1 | -1.5 |
| 89 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 19 | -0.3 |
| 90 | Honduras | 18.9 | -0.7 |
| 91 | Jamaica | 18.7 | 0 |
| 92 | Saint Lucia | 18.5 | -0.1 |
| 93 | Vanuatu | 18.3 | -0.1 |
| 94 | Grenada | 18.1 | +0.3 |
| 95 | Tunisia | 17.9 | -0.2 |
| 96 | Samoa | 17.8 | -0.3 |
| 97 | Mongolia | 17.4 | -1 |
| 98 | Uzbekistan | 17.3 | -1.1 |
| 99 | Palestine | 16.9 | -0.6 |
| 100 | Panama | 16.7 | -0.3 |
| 101 | Cape Verde | 16.2 | -1.4 |
| 102 | Mexico | 15.8 | -0.4 |
| 102 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 15.8 | -0.8 |
| 104 | Jordan | 15.7 | -0.4 |
| 104 | Peru | 15.7 | -0.4 |
| 106 | Brazil | 15.4 | -1.4 |
| 106 | Moldova | 15.4 | -0.1 |
| 108 | Nicaragua | 15.3 | -0.8 |
| 109 | Mauritius | 15 | +0.4 |
| 110 | British Virgin Islands | 14.9 | -0.3 |
| 111 | Seychelles | 14.7 | 0 |
| 112 | Colombia | 14.5 | -0.5 |
| 113 | Belize | 14.4 | -0.6 |
| 113 | Ecuador | 14.4 | -0.4 |
| 113 | Iran | 14.4 | -0.5 |
| 113 | Nauru | 14.4 | -1.5 |
| 117 | Bahamas | 13.7 | -0.1 |
| 118 | Lebanon | 13.5 | +0.3 |
| 119 | Armenia | 13.3 | -0.7 |
| 119 | El Salvador | 13.3 | -0.6 |
| 121 | Libya | 12.4 | -0.4 |
| 122 | Türkiye | 12.2 | -0.5 |
| 123 | Barbados | 12.1 | -0.3 |
| 124 | Tonga | 11.4 | -0.2 |
| 125 | Thailand | 11.1 | -0.4 |
| 126 | Argentina | 11 | -0.4 |
| 126 | Oman | 11 | 0 |
| 128 | Antigua and Barbuda | 10.7 | -0.1 |
| 128 | Brunei | 10.7 | 0 |
| 130 | Kazakhstan | 10.5 | -0.5 |
| 131 | Georgia | 10 | -0.2 |
| 132 | North Macedonia | 9.6 | -1 |
| 133 | Albania | 9.3 | -0.1 |
| 133 | China | 9.3 | -0.7 |
| 135 | Costa Rica | 8.9 | 0 |
| 135 | Kuwait | 8.9 | -0.1 |
| 135 | Ukraine | 8.9 | -0.2 |
| 138 | Maldives | 8.6 | -0.6 |
| 139 | Malaysia | 8.2 | 0 |
| 140 | Saudi Arabia | 8 | -0.5 |
| 140 | Uruguay | 8 | -0.4 |
| 142 | Romania | 7.9 | -0.6 |
| 142 | Sri Lanka | 7.9 | -0.4 |
| 144 | Bahrain | 7.7 | +0.1 |
| 145 | Chile | 7.6 | -0.1 |
| 146 | Bulgaria | 7.3 | -0.4 |
| 147 | Qatar | 7.1 | -0.4 |
| 148 | United Arab Emirates | 7 | -0.3 |
| 149 | Russia | 6.9 | -0.6 |
| 150 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 6.8 | 0 |
| 151 | United States | 6.6 | -0.1 |
| 152 | Cuba | 6.4 | +0.1 |
| 152 | Malta | 6.4 | -0.1 |
| 154 | Slovakia | 6 | -0.1 |
| 155 | Serbia | 5.9 | -0.2 |
| 156 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 5.8 | -0.2 |
| 157 | New Zealand | 5.4 | -0.1 |
| 158 | Canada | 5.2 | -0.1 |
| 159 | Croatia | 4.8 | -0.1 |
| 160 | Poland | 4.6 | -0.2 |
| 161 | Hungary | 4.5 | -0.2 |
| 161 | Latvia | 4.5 | -0.3 |
| 161 | Lithuania | 4.5 | -0.3 |
| 164 | United Kingdom | 4.4 | 0 |
| 165 | Greece | 4.3 | 0 |
| 166 | France | 4.2 | 0 |
| 167 | Switzerland | 4.1 | -0.1 |
| 168 | Belgium | 4 | -0.1 |
| 168 | Netherlands | 4 | -0.1 |
| 170 | Denmark | 3.9 | -0.1 |
| 171 | Australia | 3.8 | 0 |
| 171 | Germany | 3.8 | -0.1 |
| 173 | Israel | 3.7 | -0.1 |
| 174 | Austria | 3.6 | 0 |
| 174 | Belarus | 3.6 | -0.3 |
| 174 | Montenegro | 3.6 | -0.3 |
| 174 | Portugal | 3.6 | 0 |
| 178 | Ireland | 3.5 | -0.1 |
| 179 | Italy | 3.3 | -0.1 |
| 179 | Monaco | 3.3 | -0.1 |
| 179 | South Korea | 3.3 | -0.1 |
| 182 | Andorra | 3.2 | -0.2 |
| 182 | Czechia | 3.2 | 0 |
| 182 | Spain | 3.2 | -0.1 |
| 185 | Estonia | 2.8 | -0.2 |
| 185 | Sweden | 2.8 | 0 |
| 187 | Iceland | 2.7 | +0.1 |
| 188 | Cyprus | 2.6 | +0.1 |
| 188 | Japan | 2.6 | -0.1 |
| 188 | Singapore | 2.6 | 0 |
| 191 | Luxembourg | 2.5 | 0 |
| 191 | Norway | 2.5 | -0.1 |
| 191 | Slovenia | 2.5 | 0 |
| 194 | Finland | 2.4 | 0 |
| 195 | San Marino | 1.7 | -0.1 |
Other periods
About this ranking
Probability that a newborn dies before reaching age five, per 1,000 live births, if subject to the age-specific mortality of the year.
Includes infant deaths, so it is always higher than the infant mortality rate.
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, under-5, per 1,000 live births (SH.DYN.MORT). https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.MORT. 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 under-five mortality rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"under5_mortality_rate","level":"country","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=under5_mortality_rate&level=country&limit=10Questions
Which country has the highest under-five mortality rate?
South Sudan, with 292 per 1,000 live births in 2017, according to the World Bank.
Which country has the lowest under-five mortality rate?
San Marino, with 1.7 per 1,000 live births in 2017.
Where does this ranking come from?
Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: World Bank, Mortality rate, under-5, per 1,000 live births (SH.DYN.MORT). Retrieved 2026-10-11.