Number of child deaths per woman in Malawi
Malawi: Number of child deaths per woman was 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
0.1976 under-five deaths per woman
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
29th
of 200 countries
All-time high
2.53 under-five deaths per woman
in 1961
All-time low
0.1957 under-five deaths per woman
in 2021
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of child deaths per woman in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in under-five deaths per woman.
Analysis
Malawi recorded 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman for number of child deaths per woman in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 28.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of child deaths per woman in Malawi peaked at 2.53 under-five deaths per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 0.1957 under-five deaths per woman, in 2021.
Malawi ranks 29th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of child deaths per woman in Malawi, year by year
| Year | under-five deaths per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.53 under-five deaths per woman | — |
| 1962 | 2.53 under-five deaths per woman | -0.0% |
| 1963 | 2.53 under-five deaths per woman | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 2.51 under-five deaths per woman | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 2.5 under-five deaths per woman | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 2.51 under-five deaths per woman | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 2.52 under-five deaths per woman | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 2.53 under-five deaths per woman | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 2.52 under-five deaths per woman | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 2.5 under-five deaths per woman | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 2.47 under-five deaths per woman | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 2.43 under-five deaths per woman | -1.7% |
| 1973 | 2.37 under-five deaths per woman | -2.1% |
| 1974 | 2.31 under-five deaths per woman | -2.6% |
| 1975 | 2.25 under-five deaths per woman | -2.6% |
| 1976 | 2.19 under-five deaths per woman | -2.8% |
| 1977 | 2.13 under-five deaths per woman | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 2.06 under-five deaths per woman | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 1.99 under-five deaths per woman | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 1.94 under-five deaths per woman | -2.5% |
| 1981 | 1.89 under-five deaths per woman | -2.9% |
| 1982 | 1.85 under-five deaths per woman | -2.0% |
| 1983 | 1.82 under-five deaths per woman | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 1.82 under-five deaths per woman | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 1.83 under-five deaths per woman | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 1.83 under-five deaths per woman | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 1.82 under-five deaths per woman | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 1.78 under-five deaths per woman | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 1.72 under-five deaths per woman | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 1.66 under-five deaths per woman | -3.7% |
| 1991 | 1.59 under-five deaths per woman | -4.2% |
| 1992 | 1.52 under-five deaths per woman | -4.3% |
| 1993 | 1.46 under-five deaths per woman | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 1.4 under-five deaths per woman | -4.2% |
| 1995 | 1.33 under-five deaths per woman | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 1.28 under-five deaths per woman | -4.0% |
| 1997 | 1.24 under-five deaths per woman | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.19 under-five deaths per woman | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 1.12 under-five deaths per woman | -5.9% |
| 2000 | 1.03 under-five deaths per woman | -8.0% |
| 2001 | 1.43 under-five deaths per woman | +38.8% |
| 2002 | 0.8537 under-five deaths per woman | -40.4% |
| 2003 | 0.7726 under-five deaths per woman | -9.5% |
| 2004 | 0.7042 under-five deaths per woman | -8.9% |
| 2005 | 0.6482 under-five deaths per woman | -7.9% |
| 2006 | 0.6001 under-five deaths per woman | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 0.5558 under-five deaths per woman | -7.4% |
| 2008 | 0.5103 under-five deaths per woman | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 0.4654 under-five deaths per woman | -8.8% |
| 2010 | 0.4226 under-five deaths per woman | -9.2% |
| 2011 | 0.3779 under-five deaths per woman | -10.6% |
| 2012 | 0.3343 under-five deaths per woman | -11.6% |
| 2013 | 0.3004 under-five deaths per woman | -10.2% |
| 2014 | 0.2769 under-five deaths per woman | -7.8% |
| 2015 | 0.2555 under-five deaths per woman | -7.7% |
| 2016 | 0.2405 under-five deaths per woman | -5.9% |
| 2017 | 0.2271 under-five deaths per woman | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 0.2154 under-five deaths per woman | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 0.2088 under-five deaths per woman | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.2014 under-five deaths per woman | -3.6% |
| 2021 | 0.1957 under-five deaths per woman | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 0.2094 under-five deaths per woman | +7.0% |
| 2023 | 0.2045 under-five deaths per woman | -2.3% |
| 2024 | 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman | -3.4% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.2501 under-five deaths per woman, 79% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2214 under-five deaths per woman, 89% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of child deaths per woman in Malawi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +38.8% | 1.03 under-five deaths per woman | 1.43 under-five deaths per woman |
| 2002 | -40.4% | 1.43 under-five deaths per woman | 0.8537 under-five deaths per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.52 under-five deaths per woman | 2.5 under-five deaths per woman | 2.53 under-five deaths per woman | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.27 under-five deaths per woman | 1.99 under-five deaths per woman | 2.5 under-five deaths per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.83 under-five deaths per woman | 1.72 under-five deaths per woman | 1.94 under-five deaths per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 under-five deaths per woman | 1.12 under-five deaths per woman | 1.66 under-five deaths per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7575 under-five deaths per woman | 0.4654 under-five deaths per woman | 1.43 under-five deaths per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2859 under-five deaths per woman | 0.2088 under-five deaths per woman | 0.4226 under-five deaths per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2017 under-five deaths per woman | 0.1957 under-five deaths per woman | 0.2094 under-five deaths per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
- 26 Zambia 0.2201 under-five deaths per woman compare
- 27 Zimbabwe 0.2095 under-five deaths per woman compare
- 28 Gambia 0.2053 under-five deaths per woman compare
- 30 Afghanistan 0.1872 under-five deaths per woman compare
- 31 Kiribati 0.1779 under-five deaths per woman compare
- 32 Pakistan 0.1696 under-five deaths per woman compare
More reference data data for Malawi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1596 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3426 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5353 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.6012 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.87 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of child deaths per woman in Malawi?
- Number of child deaths per woman in Malawi was 0.1976 under-five deaths per woman in 2024, according to Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of child deaths per woman recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.53 under-five deaths per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest number of child deaths per woman recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.1957 under-five deaths per woman in 2021.
- How does Malawi rank for number of child deaths per woman?
- Malawi ranks 29th out of 200 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of child deaths per woman rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 28.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Malawi data come from?
- The figures come from Gapminder (2015); UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of child deaths per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Fertility rate (average number of children per woman) multiplied by the under-five mortality rate (probability of dying before age five).