Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) (UNESCO Institute) in Kenya

Kenya: Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) (UNESCO Institute) was 34.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
34.7 per 1,000 live births
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
37th
of 195 countries
All-time high
87.5 per 1,000 live births
in 1970
All-time low
34.7 per 1,000 live births
in 2023
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Mortality rate, infant in Kenya, 1970–2023

020406080197019962023

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in per 1,000 live births.

Analysis

The most recent figure for mortality rate, infant in Kenya is 34.7 per 1,000 live births, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 54 years on record.

That represents a change of down 3.1% on the previous year and down 15.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, mortality rate, infant in Kenya peaked at 87.5 per 1,000 live births in 1970 and was at its lowest, 34.7 per 1,000 live births, in 2023.

That places Kenya 37th out of 195 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 54 years of available data.

Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) (UNESCO Institute) in Kenya, year by year

Annual values for Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) in Kenya, 1970 to 2023.
Year per 1,000 live births Change
1970 87.5 per 1,000 live births —
1971 86 per 1,000 live births -1.7%
1972 84.3 per 1,000 live births -2.0%
1973 82.5 per 1,000 live births -2.1%
1974 80.5 per 1,000 live births -2.4%
1975 78.6 per 1,000 live births -2.4%
1976 76.5 per 1,000 live births -2.7%
1977 74.4 per 1,000 live births -2.7%
1978 72.3 per 1,000 live births -2.8%
1979 70.3 per 1,000 live births -2.8%
1980 68.5 per 1,000 live births -2.6%
1981 66.8 per 1,000 live births -2.5%
1982 65.3 per 1,000 live births -2.2%
1983 64.1 per 1,000 live births -1.8%
1984 63.1 per 1,000 live births -1.6%
1985 62.6 per 1,000 live births -0.8%
1986 62.6 per 1,000 live births +0.0%
1987 63 per 1,000 live births +0.6%
1988 64.1 per 1,000 live births +1.7%
1989 65.6 per 1,000 live births +2.3%
1990 67.4 per 1,000 live births +2.7%
1991 69.1 per 1,000 live births +2.5%
1992 70.4 per 1,000 live births +1.9%
1993 71.2 per 1,000 live births +1.1%
1994 71.4 per 1,000 live births +0.3%
1995 71 per 1,000 live births -0.6%
1996 70.3 per 1,000 live births -1.0%
1997 69.4 per 1,000 live births -1.3%
1998 67.9 per 1,000 live births -2.2%
1999 66 per 1,000 live births -2.8%
2000 63.8 per 1,000 live births -3.3%
2001 61.2 per 1,000 live births -4.1%
2002 58.3 per 1,000 live births -4.7%
2003 55.5 per 1,000 live births -4.8%
2004 52.5 per 1,000 live births -5.4%
2005 49.4 per 1,000 live births -5.9%
2006 46.9 per 1,000 live births -5.1%
2007 44.9 per 1,000 live births -4.3%
2008 42.4 per 1,000 live births -5.6%
2009 41.9 per 1,000 live births -1.2%
2010 41.4 per 1,000 live births -1.2%
2011 41.1 per 1,000 live births -0.7%
2012 41.3 per 1,000 live births +0.5%
2013 40.9 per 1,000 live births -1.0%
2014 40.1 per 1,000 live births -2.0%
2015 39.1 per 1,000 live births -2.5%
2016 38.7 per 1,000 live births -1.0%
2017 38.5 per 1,000 live births -0.5%
2018 37.8 per 1,000 live births -1.8%
2019 37.2 per 1,000 live births -1.6%
2020 36.9 per 1,000 live births -0.8%
2021 36.4 per 1,000 live births -1.4%
2022 35.8 per 1,000 live births -1.6%
2023 34.7 per 1,000 live births -3.1%

Kenya compared with similar countries

  • Kenya's 34.7 per 1,000 live births is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 30.2 per 1,000 live births, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
  • Kenya's 34.7 per 1,000 live births is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 38.35 per 1,000 live births, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 79.29 per 1,000 live births 70.3 per 1,000 live births 87.5 per 1,000 live births 10
1980s 64.57 per 1,000 live births 62.6 per 1,000 live births 68.5 per 1,000 live births 10
1990s 69.41 per 1,000 live births 66 per 1,000 live births 71.4 per 1,000 live births 10
2000s 51.68 per 1,000 live births 41.9 per 1,000 live births 63.8 per 1,000 live births 10
2010s 39.61 per 1,000 live births 37.2 per 1,000 live births 41.4 per 1,000 live births 10
2020s 35.95 per 1,000 live births 34.7 per 1,000 live births 36.9 per 1,000 live births 4

Countries ranked near Kenya

  1. 34 Comoros 35.7 per 1,000 live births compare
  2. 34 Ethiopia 35.7 per 1,000 live births compare
  3. 36 Laos 35.2 per 1,000 live births compare
  4. 37 Yemen 34.7 per 1,000 live births compare
  5. 39 Myanmar 34.1 per 1,000 live births compare
  6. 40 Gambia 33.8 per 1,000 live births compare

See the full ranking of 195 places →

More population data for Kenya

All data for Kenya →

Frequently asked questions

What is mortality rate, infant in Kenya?
Mortality rate, infant in Kenya was 34.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest mortality rate, infant recorded in Kenya?
The highest recorded value was 87.5 per 1,000 live births in 1970.
What is the lowest mortality rate, infant recorded in Kenya?
The lowest recorded value was 34.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023.
How does Kenya rank for mortality rate, infant?
Kenya ranks 37th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
Is mortality rate, infant rising or falling in Kenya?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Kenya data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Mortality rate, infant in Kenya. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/mortality-rate-infant-per-1-000-live-births-3/kenya/

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About this data

Indicator
Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)
Unit
per 1,000 live births
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
195 places, 10,178 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release