
Rankings at a glance
Highest 10 · Probability of dying before age 40 for females (2026)
Nigeria is projected to lead the world in probability of dying before age 40 for females at 270.09 per 1,000 live births in 2026, followed by Chad (241.32 per 1,000 live births) and South Sudan (201.12 per 1,000 live births). The Central African Republic (195.78 per 1,000 live births) and Somalia (191.55 per 1,000 live births) close out the top 5. Next up, Guinea (183.49 per 1,000 live births) and Benin (177.44 per 1,000 live births). Niger (174.36 per 1,000 live births), Lesotho (173.17 per 1,000 live births), and Mali (171.59 per 1,000 live births) round out the top ten. The gap across the top ten is wide: Nigeria would have 1.6× the value of Mali (171.59 per 1,000 live births). Among these countries, Lesotho is projected to see the largest year-over-year change at -3.0%.
Rank changes
How probability of dying before age 40 for females changed between 2021 and 2026
Historical trends
Key terms
- Life expectancy
- — Average number of years a newborn would live under current mortality conditions.
- Infant mortality rate
- — Deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 live births.
- Under-five mortality
- — Deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births.
- Crude death rate
- — Total deaths per 1,000 people each year.
Frequently asked questions
- Which country has the lowest female mortality before age 40?
- San Marino is projected to have the lowest female mortality before age 40 at 6.02 per 1,000 live births in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- Which country has the highest female mortality before age 40?
- Nigeria is projected to have the highest female mortality before age 40 at 270.09 per 1,000 live births in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- What is the global female mortality before age 40?
- The global female mortality before age 40 is projected to be 67.93 per 1,000 live births in 2026, as published by the United Nations in World Population Prospects 2024.



