Guided story
How many Indian children die before age five?
India's under-5 mortality rate has fallen dramatically over six decades, but wealth and region still decide outcomes.
What is the headline answer?
In 2024, 26.6 out of every 1,000 children born in India died before reaching age five. This number comes from the World Bank. The WHO’s estimate for 2023 is similar: 27.82 per 1,000 live births. That means about 2.8% of children – roughly one in 36 – do not survive five years.
Infant mortality rate
WHO GHO
2023 · latest point
It shows that most under-five deaths occur in the first year, giving context to the main number.
It shows that most under-five deaths occur in the first year, giving context to the main number.
What exactly does 'under-five mortality rate' mean?
The under-five mortality rate counts the number of children who die before their fifth birthday for every 1,000 live births in a given year. It is not a percentage of all children but a rate per thousand. It is a standard global measure of child health and survival. A lower rate means more children live.
Under-five mortality rate
World Bank · SH.DYN.MORT
2024 · latest point
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
How much has it changed over time?
India’s progress is striking. In 1960, the rate was 241.3 per 1,000 – nearly one in four children. By 2024, it had fallen to 26.6. The World Bank data shows steady improvement. The UN projects further decline to 22.34 per 1,000 by 2030 (median scenario). The OWID data, which expresses the same rate as a percentage, shows 33.3% in 1911 and 2.8% in 2023.
How much changed?
Under-five mortality rate · first to latest point
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
What is the difference between infant and child mortality?
Most under-five deaths happen in the first year. The infant mortality rate (deaths before age one) was 24.5 per 1,000 in 2023 (WHO). That means 24.5 of the 27.8 under-five deaths occur in infancy. The neonatal mortality rate (deaths in the first 28 days) was 30.78 per 1,000 in 2015 (WHO) – earlier data, but it shows that about half of infant deaths occur in the newborn period.
Change by decade
Under-five mortality rate · added during each period
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
Does the national average hide inequalities?
Yes, sharply. The WHO provides a breakdown by wealth quintile for 2023. In the poorest 20% of households, the under-five mortality rate is 42.2 per 1,000. In the richest 20%, it is 14.3 per 1,000. That is a three-fold difference. Even the second-poorest quintile has a rate of 32.3, while the fourth quintile is at 22.6. National averages mask these gaps.
Under-five mortality rate
WHO GHO
2023 · latest point
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
What does the number not tell us?
The under-five mortality rate is an estimate. The WHO data has uncertainty ranges: for India’s 2023 rate of 27.82, the 95% uncertainty interval is 23.89 to 32.14. Also, these are UN IGME estimates – not the official India statistics. India’s Sample Registration System (SRS) is the official source. This page does not include SRS data. Additionally, the rate does not tell us why children die – causes like pneumonia, diarrhoea, or malnutrition are not shown here.
Under-five mortality rate
UN Population
2030 · latest point
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
This is the main chart answering the page question: it shows the trend from 1960 to 2024.
What should the reader remember?
India has cut child deaths dramatically from 241 to 27 per 1,000. But that progress is uneven. A child born into the poorest fifth of families is three times more likely to die before age five than one in the richest fifth. Closing that gap is the next challenge.