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Health and wellbeing ยท ranked by Under-five deaths

Countries with the most deaths of children under five

50 ranked ยท updated 2026-11-02
Number oneNigeria855.68 thousand deaths
Ranking by Under-five deaths
#NameUnder-five deathsChange
1
Nigeria
855.68 thousand deathsnew
2615.03 thousand deathsnew
3385.04 thousand deathsnew
4381.59 thousand deathsnew
5181.23 thousand deathsnew
6118.45 thousand deathsnew
7105.41 thousand deathsnew
8101.88 thousand deathsnew
986.32 thousand deathsnew
1082.59 thousand deathsnew
Show positions 11โ€“50
1179.14 thousand deathsnew
1278.96 thousand deathsnew
1378.27 thousand deathsnew
1477.77 thousand deathsnew
1574.22 thousand deathsnew
1668.26 thousand deathsnew
1767 thousand deathsnew
1863.78 thousand deathsnew
1961.92 thousand deathsnew
2061.51 thousand deathsnew
2158.2 thousand deathsnew
2254.01 thousand deathsnew
2353.97 thousand deathsnew
2453.94 thousand deathsnew
2552.48 thousand deathsnew
2648.69 thousand deathsnew
2744.39 thousand deathsnew
2841.44 thousand deathsnew
2936.89 thousand deathsnew
3035.3 thousand deathsnew
3133.15 thousand deathsnew
3232.95 thousand deathsnew
3332.18 thousand deathsnew
3431.99 thousand deathsnew
3531.8 thousand deathsnew
3631.72 thousand deathsnew
3726.5 thousand deathsnew
3825.4 thousand deathsnew
3924.09 thousand deathsnew
4023.69 thousand deathsnew
4123.17 thousand deathsnew
4221.57 thousand deathsnew
4320.56 thousand deathsnew
4419.42 thousand deathsnew
4519.31 thousand deathsnew
4616.11 thousand deathsnew
4714.91 thousand deathsnew
4814.53 thousand deathsnew
4914.26 thousand deathsnew
5013.58 thousand deathsnew

History

How the top 10 has moved

Positions of today's top 10 across every published snapshot.

History appears once this ranking has at least two published snapshots.

About this ranking

Countries with the most deaths of children under five, explained

Countries with the most deaths of children under five is a live ranking of the top 50 entries in health and wellbeing by Under-five deaths, built from public data published by Our World in Data. It was last refreshed on 2026-11-02. This is the first published snapshot; from the next refresh onwards the page will also show movers, new entries and a rank history chart.

Nigeria currently holds #1 with 855.68 thousand deaths. India is second with 615.03 thousand deaths, which puts the leader 39% ahead. Democratic Republic of Congo completes the top three with 385.04 thousand deaths. Together the top three account for about 64% of the combined top-10 total, which gives a quick sense of how concentrated this ranking is.

How it is measured: Total number of deaths of children under five years old. Our World in Data chart "number-of-child-deaths-igme" (column observation_value__indicator_under_five_deaths__sex_total__wealth_quintile_total__unit_of_measure_deaths); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded. Caveat: Years differ by country; the chart page documents the original source and its limitations. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The full top 50 is on this page, with positions 11 to 50 one click away, and each entry links to its own profile showing every ranking it appears in.

Use this page to check who is number one right now, compare any two entries head to head, or test yourself with the quiz, which asks you to name all ten in three minutes. Year-end archives are available for 2026, freezing the ranking as it stood at the close of each year. Top10Earth never estimates or edits a value: each number is fetched from its source, hashed, stored and ranked by software, then checked by a quality gate before it is published. If a refresh fails the gate, the previous snapshot stays live and the problem is reviewed by a person.

Frequently asked questions

Who is #1 in Countries with the most deaths of children under five?
Nigeria is #1 with 855.68 thousand deaths, as of 2026-11-02. India is #2.
How is Countries with the most deaths of children under five ranked?
By Under-five deaths. Total number of deaths of children under five years old. Our World in Data chart "number-of-child-deaths-igme" (column observation_value__indicator_under_five_deaths__sex_total__wealth_quintile_total__unit_of_measure_deaths); most recent year per country within the last five years of data, regional aggregates excluded.
How often is this ranking updated?
It refreshes on a fixed schedule from Our World in Data. The latest snapshot was captured on 2026-11-02.
Where does the data come from?
Our World in Data. Data from Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0) and the sources it cites. The raw payload for every refresh is stored unchanged so any number can be traced back.