Countries With the Fastest Decline in Infant mortality rate (5-Year Change)

Name: Countries With the Fastest Decline in Infant mortality rate (5-Year Change)
Creator: The World Bank
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Change in Infant mortality rate over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that fell are listed. Source: The World Bank (CC BY 4.0).

Summary

Central African Republic fell the most: by 70.1, from 128.9 deaths per 1,000 live births to 58.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in the five years to 2024. Mali is second (−10.1), followed by Somalia, Fed. Rep. (−9.6). 164 countries fell over that period; the median change among them was −1.8.

#1: Central African Republic · −70.1
Median: −1.8
Coverage: 164 countries
Data year: 2024
Last updated: 2026-11-14

Top 10: 5-year change (deaths per 1,000 live births). Bar chart of the top 10: 1. Central African Republic -70.1; 2. Mali -10.1; 3. Somalia, Fed. Rep. -9.6; 4. Sierra Leone -9.4; 5. Afghanistan -8.3; 6. Chad -8.3; 7. Equatorial Guinea -8.1; 8. Pakistan -8.1; 9. Djibouti -7.2; 10. Guinea -7.2.

Full ranking

Countries With the Fastest Decline in Infant mortality rate (5-Year Change), 2024
Rank	Country	From	To	5-year change (deaths per 1,000 live births)
1	Central African Republic	128.9	58.8	−70.1
2	Mali	57.6	47.5	−10.1
3	Somalia, Fed. Rep.	75	65.4	−9.6
4	Sierra Leone	64	54.6	−9.4
5	Afghanistan	56.6	48.3	−8.3
6	Chad	64.6	56.3	−8.3
7	Equatorial Guinea	55.7	47.6	−8.1
8	Pakistan	56.3	48.2	−8.1
9	Djibouti	50.2	43	−7.2
10	Guinea	67	59.8	−7.2
11	Lesotho	63.5	56.3	−7.2
12	Côte d'Ivoire	51.8	44.8	−7
13	Cameroon	46.9	40.2	−6.7
14	Burkina Faso	50.2	43.6	−6.6
15	Benin	51.8	45.2	−6.6
16	Guinea-Bissau	48.6	42.1	−6.5
17	India	29.8	23.3	−6.5
18	Namibia	42.8	36.4	−6.4
19	Ethiopia	40.8	34.5	−6.3
20	Congo, Rep.	33.2	27	−6.2
21	Lao PDR	33.3	27.2	−6.1
22	Senegal	34.8	28.9	−5.9
23	Tanzania	34.5	28.7	−5.8
24	Haiti	44.7	39	−5.7
25	Myanmar	38.4	32.8	−5.6
26	Gambia, The	38.2	32.7	−5.5
27	Mozambique	49.2	43.7	−5.5
28	Togo	40.2	34.8	−5.4
29	Ghana	32.9	27.5	−5.4
30	Eswatini	47.6	42.2	−5.4
31	Botswana	37.4	32.1	−5.3
32	Burundi	35.7	30.5	−5.2
33	Yemen, Rep.	39	33.8	−5.2
34	Timor-Leste	39.6	34.6	−5
35	Nepal	27.1	22.2	−4.9
36	Papua New Guinea	36.2	31.3	−4.9
37	Bahamas, The	16	11.1	−4.9
38	Comoros	39.8	35	−4.8
39	Tunisia	14.4	9.7	−4.7
40	Mauritania	34.9	30.2	−4.7
41	Gabon	30.1	25.9	−4.2
42	Bolivia	18.4	14.2	−4.2
43	Bhutan	17.9	13.7	−4.2
44	Kiribati	42.9	38.8	−4.1
45	Azerbaijan	16.5	12.5	−4
46	Eritrea	28.7	24.7	−4
47	Guyana	27.1	23.2	−3.9
48	North Macedonia	6.3	2.5	−3.8
49	Cambodia	20.1	16.4	−3.7
50	Niger	69.3	65.6	−3.7
51	Marshall Islands	26.2	22.7	−3.5
52	Turkmenistan	33.9	30.4	−3.5
53	Syrian Arab Republic	21.1	17.7	−3.4
54	Naoero	11.1	7.7	−3.4
55	Angola	35.5	32.1	−3.4
56	Micronesia, Fed. Sts.	23.7	20.3	−3.4
57	Iraq	23.5	20.1	−3.4
58	Indonesia	18.5	15.2	−3.3
59	Dominican Republic	30.9	27.7	−3.2
60	Nicaragua	12.6	9.4	−3.2
61	Morocco	17.8	14.7	−3.1
62	Guatemala	20.2	17.2	−3
63	Tuvalu	19.4	16.5	−2.9
64	Kenya	37	34.2	−2.8
65	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	12.8	10.2	−2.6
66	Cabo Verde	13.2	10.6	−2.6
67	Samoa	14.9	12.3	−2.6
68	Paraguay	17	14.5	−2.5
69	Rwanda	31.7	29.4	−2.3
70	Solomon Islands	18.7	16.4	−2.3
71	Suriname	17.1	14.8	−2.3
72	Armenia	10.7	8.5	−2.2
73	Trinidad and Tobago	19.2	17	−2.2
74	Kosovo	10.2	8	−2.2
75	São Tomé and Principe	11.3	9.2	−2.1
76	Honduras	14.9	12.8	−2.1
77	Uzbekistan	14.9	12.8	−2.1
78	Viet Nam	14.1	12	−2.1
79	Egypt, Arab Rep.	22.9	20.8	−2.1
80	St. Kitts and Nevis	15.9	13.9	−2
81	China	6	4.1	−1.9
82	Colombia	12.3	10.5	−1.8
83	Iran, Islamic Rep.	12.1	10.3	−1.8
84	El Salvador	10.6	8.8	−1.8
85	Maldives	6.4	4.7	−1.7
86	Jordan	13.7	12	−1.7
87	Mongolia	12.8	11.2	−1.6
88	Mexico	13.7	12.1	−1.6
89	British Virgin Islands	13	11.4	−1.6
90	Barbados	10.6	9.1	−1.5
91	Peru	12.5	11	−1.5
92	Tajikistan	25	23.5	−1.5
93	Zambia	36.1	34.6	−1.5
94	Türkiye	9.4	8	−1.4
95	Libya	9.2	7.9	−1.3
96	United Arab Emirates	5	3.8	−1.2
97	Thailand	8.9	7.7	−1.2
98	Algeria	20.7	19.5	−1.2
99	Kyrgyz Republic	16	14.8	−1.2
100	Palau	19.8	18.6	−1.2

Showing the top 100 of 164. Premium downloads the full list as CSV or JSON.

About the top 10

#1 Central African Republic

Central African Republic ranks #1 on this list with −70.1.

Capital: Bangui
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 5.51 million people (2025)
GDP: US$3.07 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$556.1 (2025)
Life expectancy: 57.7 years (2024)
Urban population: 44.6% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in population ages 0-14 share · #1 in age dependency ratio · #1 in age dependency ratio (young).

Full country profile

#2 Mali

Mali ranks #2 on this list with −10.1.

Capital: Bamako
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 25.2 million people (2025)
GDP: US$30.07 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,193 (2025)
Life expectancy: 60.7 years (2024)
Urban population: 32.2% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Bamako.

Also ranks #6 in population ages 0-14 share · #6 in age dependency ratio · #6 in age dependency ratio (young).

Full country profile

#3 Somalia, Fed. Rep.

Somalia, Fed. Rep. ranks #3 on this list with −9.6.

Capital: Mogadishu
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 19.66 million people (2025)
GDP: US$13 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$661.2 (2025)
Life expectancy: 59 years (2024)
Urban population: 55.1% of population (2025)

Largest cities: North East State of Somalia, Mogadishu.

Also ranks #1 in prevalence of undernourishment · #2 in population ages 0-14 share · #2 in age dependency ratio (young).

Full country profile

#4 Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone ranks #4 on this list with −9.4.

Capital: Freetown
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 8.82 million people (2025)
GDP: US$7.46 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$846.3 (2025)
Life expectancy: 62 years (2024)
Urban population: 45.9% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in school enrolment (primary) · #7 in under-5 mortality rate · #8 in forest rents share of gdp.

Full country profile

#5 Afghanistan

Afghanistan ranks #5 on this list with −8.3.

Capital: Kabul
Continent: Asia
Income group: Low income
Population: 43.84 million people (2025)
GDP: US$17.78 billion (2024)
GDP per person: US$416.9 (2024)
Life expectancy: 66.3 years (2024)
Urban population: 25.9% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Kabul.

Also ranks #1 in refugee population by origin · #4 in health expenditure share of gdp · #6 in agriculture value added share of gdp.

Full country profile

#6 Chad

Chad ranks #6 on this list with −8.3.

Capital: N'Djamena
Continent: Africa
Income group: Low income
Population: 21 million people (2025)
GDP: US$21.47 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,022 (2025)
Life expectancy: 55.2 years (2024)
Urban population: 27.6% of population (2025)

Largest cities: N'Djamena.

Also ranks #1 in fertility rate · #2 in birth rate · #2 in maternal mortality ratio.

Full country profile

#7 Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea ranks #7 on this list with −8.1.

Capital: Ciudad de la Paz
Continent: Africa
Income group: Upper middle income
Population: 1.94 million people (2025)
GDP: US$12.82 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$6,615 (2025)
Life expectancy: 63.9 years (2024)
Urban population: 71.6% of population (2025)

Also ranks #7 in forest area share · #13 in male population share · #13 in industry value added share of gdp.

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#8 Pakistan

Pakistan ranks #8 on this list with −8.1.

Capital: Islamabad
Continent: Asia
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 255.22 million people (2025)
GDP: US$407.31 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,596 (2025)
Life expectancy: 67.8 years (2024)
Urban population: 39.5% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Karachi, Lahore, Faisalabad.

Also ranks #1 in diabetes prevalence · #2 in children out of school (primary) · #3 in rural population.

Full country profile

#9 Djibouti

Djibouti ranks #9 on this list with −7.2.

Capital: Djibouti
Continent: Africa
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 1.18 million people (2025)
GDP: US$4.62 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$3,906 (2025)
Life expectancy: 66.2 years (2024)
Urban population: 73% of population (2025)

Also ranks #1 in youth unemployment rate · #3 in unemployment rate · #4 in prevalence of wasting (under-5).

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#10 Guinea

Guinea ranks #10 on this list with −7.2.

Capital: Conakry
Continent: Africa
Income group: Lower middle income
Population: 15.1 million people (2025)
GDP: US$28.35 billion (2025)
GDP per person: US$1,877 (2025)
Life expectancy: 60.9 years (2024)
Urban population: 38.5% of population (2025)

Largest cities: Conakry.

Also ranks #6 in under-5 mortality rate · #7 in infant mortality rate · #7 in official exchange rate.

Full country profile

Profile facts: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0); weather links go to Purr Weather, another ChowChow Labs site.

Source and method

Change in Infant mortality rate over the five years to each country's latest year, in points (a share or rate is not shown as a % of itself). Only countries that fell are listed.

Source: The World Bank, indicator SP.DYN.IMRT.IN. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Retrieved: 2026-11-14.

The World Bank: Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births): UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (via World Development Indicators)

Original data provider, as recorded by the World Bank: UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF); World Health Organization (WHO); World Bank (WB).

Values are shown as published (changes are computed from the published values). Provider terms: The World Bank. All licences: Sources & licences.

Summary

Full ranking

About the top 10

#1 Central African Republic

#2 Mali

#3 Somalia, Fed. Rep.

#4 Sierra Leone

#5 Afghanistan

#6 Chad

#7 Equatorial Guinea

#8 Pakistan

#9 Djibouti

#10 Guinea

Related rankings

Source and method