Countries in Africa by death rate
Deaths in a year for every 1,000 people. An old population has a high death rate even where health care is good. 54 countries in Africa, highest first. World Bank, 2024
Median country
7.0
half above, half below| # | Country | Per 1,000 people | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Nigeria | 11.6 | Western Africa |
| 2 |  Chad | 11.1 | Middle Africa |
| 3 |  Lesotho | 10.5 | Southern Africa |
| 4 |  Mauritius | 10.0 | Eastern Africa |
| 5 |  South Sudan | 9.8 | Eastern Africa |
| 6 |  Somalia | 9.7 | Eastern Africa |
| 7 |  Central African Republic | 9.4 | Middle Africa |
| 8 |  South Africa | 9.2 | Southern Africa |
| 9 |  Guinea | 9.0 | Western Africa |
| =10 |  Benin | 8.7 | Western Africa |
| =10 |  Niger | 8.7 | Western Africa |
| =12 |  Mali | 8.5 | Western Africa |
| =12 |  Togo | 8.5 | Western Africa |
| 14 |  DR Congo | 8.4 | Middle Africa |
| 15 |  Sierra Leone | 8.2 | Western Africa |
| 16 |  Liberia | 8.0 | Western Africa |
| =17 |  Burkina Faso | 7.9 | Western Africa |
| =17 |  Equatorial Guinea | 7.9 | Middle Africa |
| 19 |  Eswatini | 7.7 | Southern Africa |
| 20 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 7.6 | Western Africa |
| =21 |  Djibouti | 7.5 | Eastern Africa |
| =21 |  Madagascar | 7.5 | Eastern Africa |
| =21 |  Zimbabwe | 7.5 | Eastern Africa |
| 24 |  Kenya | 7.2 | Eastern Africa |
| 25 |  Comoros | 7.1 | Eastern Africa |
| =26 |  Cameroon | 7.0 | Middle Africa |
| =26 |  Ghana | 7.0 | Western Africa |
| =26 |  Guinea-Bissau | 7.0 | Western Africa |
| =26 |  Seychelles | 7.0 | Eastern Africa |
| 30 |  Mozambique | 6.9 | Eastern Africa |
| 31 |  Angola | 6.8 | Middle Africa |
| 32 |  Burundi | 6.7 | Eastern Africa |
| 33 |  Libya | 6.5 | Northern Africa |
| 34 |  Sudan | 6.3 | Northern Africa |
| =35 |  Congo | 6.2 | Middle Africa |
| =35 |  Gabon | 6.2 | Middle Africa |
| =35 |  Gambia | 6.2 | Western Africa |
| =35 |  Namibia | 6.2 | Southern Africa |
| 39 |  Tunisia | 6.1 | Northern Africa |
| 40 |  Eritrea | 6.0 | Eastern Africa |
| =41 |  Ethiopia | 5.9 | Eastern Africa |
| =41 |  Rwanda | 5.9 | Eastern Africa |
| =43 |  Botswana | 5.7 | Southern Africa |
| =43 |  Morocco | 5.7 | Northern Africa |
| =43 |  Tanzania | 5.7 | Eastern Africa |
| =46 |  Egypt | 5.5 | Northern Africa |
| =46 |  São Tomé and Principe | 5.5 | Middle Africa |
| =46 |  Senegal | 5.5 | Western Africa |
| 49 |  Mauritania | 5.4 | Western Africa |
| 50 |  Malawi | 5.3 | Eastern Africa |
| 51 |  Zambia | 5.2 | Eastern Africa |
| 52 |  Cabo Verde | 5.1 | Western Africa |
| 53 |  Uganda | 4.8 | Eastern Africa |
| 54 |  Algeria | 4.6 | Northern Africa |
Questions
- Which country in Africa has the highest death rate?
- Nigeria has the highest death rate in Africa: 11.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2024). Next come Chad (11.1 deaths per 1,000 people) and Lesotho (10.5 deaths per 1,000 people).
- Which country in Africa has the lowest death rate?
- Algeria, with 4.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2024).
- What is the typical death rate of a country in Africa?
- The median of the 54 countries in Africa is 7.0 deaths per 1,000 people: half are above it, half below. The median, not the average, because a few countries at the top would drag an average far above almost everyone.
- Where do the figures come from?
- Deaths in a year for every 1,000 people. An old population has a high death rate even where health care is good. Source: World Bank, 2024. Only independent states are ranked; territories are listed separately. A country’s continent follows Natural Earth; the handful of island states it files under the open ocean are placed by their UN subregion.
Source: World Bank (CC BY 4.0). Figures more than 5 years older than the newest are left out rather than shown beside current ones. Countries sharing a value share a rank. All sources.