The child mortality rate in China, for children under the age of five, was 417 deaths per thousand births in 1850. This means that for all children born in 1850, almost 42 percent did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 170 years, this number has dropped drastically, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just twelve deaths per thousand births. The sharpest decrease came between 1950 and 1955, as the Chinese Civil War ended, and the country began to recover from the Second World War. The decline then stopped between 1955 and 1965, due to famines caused by Chairman Mao Zedong's attempted Great Leap Forward, which was a failed attempt to industrialize China in the late twentieth century.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ can support your business.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder. (June 17, 2019). Child mortality rate (under five years old) in China from 1850 to 2020* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 21, 2026, from /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), und Gapminder. "Child mortality rate (under five years old) in China from 1850 to 2020*." Chart. June 17, 2019. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 21, 2026. /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Gapminder. (2019). Child mortality rate (under five years old) in China from 1850 to 2020*. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 21, 2026. /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and Gapminder. "Child Mortality Rate (under Five Years Old) in China from 1850 to 2020*." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 17 Jun 2019, /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) & Gapminder, Child mortality rate (under five years old) in China from 1850 to 2020* ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/ (last visited July 21, 2026)
Child mortality rate (under five years old) in China from 1850 to 2020* [Graph], United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder, June 17, 2019. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1041851/china-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
