Countries in South America by infant mortality
Babies who die before their first birthday, for every 1,000 born alive. 12 countries in South America, highest first. World Bank, 2024
Median country
11.7
half above, half below| # | Country | Per 1,000 births | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guyana | 23.2 | South America |
| 2 |  Venezuela | 21.2 | South America |
| 3 |  Suriname | 14.8 | South America |
| 4 |  Paraguay | 14.5 | South America |
| 5 |  Bolivia | 14.2 | South America |
| 6 |  Brazil | 12.3 | South America |
| 7 |  Peru | 11.0 | South America |
| 8 |  Ecuador | 10.9 | South America |
| 9 |  Colombia | 10.5 | South America |
| 10 |  Argentina | 8.0 | South America |
| 11 |  Uruguay | 6.2 | South America |
| 12 |  Chile | 5.8 | South America |
Questions
- Which country in South America has the highest infant mortality?
- Guyana has the highest infant mortality in South America: 23.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2024). Next come Venezuela (21.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births) and Suriname (14.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births).
- Which country in South America has the lowest infant mortality?
- Chile, with 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (2024).
- What is the typical infant mortality of a country in South America?
- The median of the 12 countries in South America is 11.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births: 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?
- Babies who die before their first birthday, for every 1,000 born alive. 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.