Infant mortality in South Africa 1955-2020

In the mid-20^th century, the infant mortality rate of South Africa was estimated to be just over 130 deaths per thousand live births, meaning that almost one in seven infants born at that time would not survive past their first birthday. Infant mortality in South Africa would steadily decline for most of the late-1900s, falling to just over forty deaths per thousand live births by the early 1990s. However, with the outbreak of the the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the late 1990s, infant mortality would gradually rise in the country until improvements in HIV treatment and prevention would allow for infant mortality to decline from 2005 onwards. As South Africa continues to improve access to healthcare, it is estimated that, in 2020, over 97 percent of all infants will make it past their first birthday.