Year-over-year change: 0.0%, trend flat
5-year change: -4.8%, trend down
Nigeria
Under-five deaths: 767.9 thousand
View MoreNumber of deaths of children under age 5
World Total4.6million
19502100
2026
Rankings at a glance
Highest 10 · Number of deaths of children under age 5 (2026)
Nigeria is projected to lead the world in number of deaths of children under age 5 at 767.9 thousand in 2026, followed by India (600.1 thousand) and Pakistan (385.8 thousand). DR Congo (320.5 thousand) and Ethiopia (169.4 thousand) close out the top 5. Next up, Niger (124.0 thousand) and Tanzania (88.1 thousand). Mali (87.7 thousand), Angola (87.5 thousand), and Sudan (85.4 thousand) round out the top ten. The gap across the top ten is wide: Nigeria would have 9.0× the value of Sudan (85.4 thousand). Eight of the top ten are in Africa, with three from Western Africa. Among these countries, India is projected to see the largest year-over-year change at -4.0%.
Rank changes
How number of deaths of children under age 5 changed between 2025 and 2026
2025and2026
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 most under-five deaths?
- Nigeria is projected to have the most under-five deaths at 767.9 thousand deaths in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- Which country has the fewest under-five deaths?
- Tokelau is projected to have the fewest under-five deaths at 0 deaths in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- What is the global under-five deaths?
- The global under-five deaths is projected to be 4.6 million deaths in 2026, as published by the United Nations in World Population Prospects 2024.
