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UN DESA Population Division · Crude Death Rate

Death rate by country

How many people die each year for every 1,000 people?

Of the 222 countries compared in 2023, Vatican City had the highest reading, 25.580, and Qatar had the lowest reading, 0.930. In the middle country the figure was 7.303. Among the 222 countries measured in every edition since 1950, the middle one moved from 18.830 to 7.303.

Part ofPeople & Population

Death rate · 2023

Context statistic

Highest of 222Vatican City

25.580

012023 · values only

The highest and the lowest

The three countries with the highest values of 222 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.

  1. 1

    Vatican City

    Southern Europe

    25.580

  2. 2

    Monaco

    Western Europe

    20.971

  3. 3

    United States Virgin Islands

    Caribbean

    15.411

Lowest in 2023

  1. Qatar0.930
  2. United Arab Emirates0.932
  3. Kuwait1.782

This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.

Highest on each continent

02Every measured country

Death rate on a map

Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.

All regions

Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.

  • 0.930–5.724
  • 5.781–6.868
  • 6.893–8.071
  • 8.076–9.854
  • 9.942–25.580
  • No reading in 2023
  • Europe

    10.489

    the middle country, of 48 measured · 49 members

    Vatican City25.580

    Kosovo5.871

    Highest and lowest reading in Europe.

  • Americas

    7.614

    the middle country, of 48 measured · 48 members

    United States Virgin Islands15.411

    Honduras4.478

    Highest and lowest reading in Americas.

  • Africa

    7.101

    the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members

    Nigeria11.740

    Algeria4.641

    Highest and lowest reading in Africa.

  • Oceania

    6.968

    the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members

    Niue14.721

    French Polynesia3.649

    Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.

  • Asia

    6.206

    the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members

    Japan12.257

    Qatar0.930

    Highest and lowest reading in Asia.

22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
  • Eastern Europe

    13.176

    the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members

    Bulgaria15.153

    Slovakia9.816

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.

  • Southern Europe

    10.844

    the middle country, of 17 measured · 17 members

    Vatican City25.580

    Kosovo5.871

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.

  • Northern Europe

    9.968

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members

    Latvia14.670

    Iceland6.739

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.

  • Western Europe

    9.273

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Monaco20.971

    Luxembourg6.980

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.

  • Caribbean

    8.786

    the middle country, of 24 measured · 24 members

    United States Virgin Islands15.411

    Cayman Islands4.801

    Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.

  • Western Africa

    8.018

    the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members

    Nigeria11.740

    Cabo Verde5.059

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.

  • Eastern Asia

    7.948

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    Japan12.257

    Macau4.795

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.

  • Southern Africa

    7.700

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Lesotho10.648

    Botswana5.724

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.

  • Middle Africa

    7.151

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Chad11.032

    São Tomé and Príncipe5.572

    Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.

  • Eastern Africa

    7.099

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Somalia9.835

    Uganda4.842

    Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.

  • Micronesia

    7.046

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Palau11.495

    Northern Mariana Islands4.704

    Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.

  • Polynesia

    7.021

    the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members

    Niue14.721

    French Polynesia3.649

    Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.

  • South America

    6.863

    the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members

    Uruguay9.783

    Ecuador5.128

    Highest and lowest reading in South America.

  • South-eastern Asia

    6.390

    the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members

    Myanmar9.153

    Singapore4.790

    Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.

  • Melanesia

    6.271

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Fiji9.255

    Vanuatu5.083

    Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.

  • Southern Asia

    6.110

    the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members

    Sri Lanka7.072

    Maldives2.338

    Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.

  • Central Asia

    5.966

    the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members

    Kazakhstan6.709

    Tajikistan4.581

    Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.

  • Northern Africa

    5.855

    the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members

    Libya6.654

    Algeria4.641

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.

  • Western Asia

    4.916

    the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members

    Georgia11.839

    Qatar0.930

    Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.

  • Central America

    4.877

    the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members

    El Salvador7.519

    Honduras4.478

    Highest and lowest reading in Central America.

  • Australia and New Zealand

    2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.

    New Zealand7.285

    Australia6.953

    Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.

  • Northern America

    4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.

    Greenland9.854

    Canada7.935

    Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.

03The whole field at once

The spread

222 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 7.303; a quarter are above 9.362, and a quarter below 6.053. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.

510152025Africa54 comparedNigeria: 11.740Chad: 11.032Lesotho: 10.648Somalia: 9.835South Sudan: 9.609Central African Republic: 9.419South Africa: 9.239Guinea: 9.125Niger: 8.859Benin: 8.797Mauritius: 8.734Togo: 8.731Mali: 8.627DR Congo: 8.525Sierra Leone: 8.287Seychelles: 8.217Liberia: 8.071Burkina Faso: 7.964Equatorial Guinea: 7.878Eswatini: 7.700Côte d’Ivoire: 7.660Zimbabwe: 7.614Madagascar: 7.528Djibouti: 7.456Kenya: 7.211Comoros: 7.196Cameroon: 7.151Guinea-Bissau: 7.050Ghana: 7.040Mozambique: 7.002Angola: 6.925Burundi: 6.718Libya: 6.654Sudan: 6.404Gambia: 6.292Republic of the Congo: 6.288Gabon: 6.269Namibia: 6.169Tunisia: 6.071Eritrea: 6.047Ethiopia: 5.960Rwanda: 5.935Tanzania: 5.791Botswana: 5.724Morocco: 5.638Senegal: 5.581São Tomé and Príncipe: 5.572Mauritania: 5.520Egypt: 5.461Malawi: 5.363Zambia: 5.207Cabo Verde: 5.059Uganda: 4.842Algeria: 4.641Algeria 4.641 · Nigeria 11.740Americas48 comparedUnited States Virgin Islands: 15.411Montserrat: 13.685Dominica: 12.763Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: 11.499Puerto Rico: 10.692Barbados: 10.613Cuba: 10.147Saint Kitts and Nevis: 9.963Curaçao: 9.942Greenland: 9.854Uruguay: 9.783Aruba: 9.576Saint Martin: 9.282Grenada: 8.859Bermuda: 8.858Bahamas: 8.713United States: 8.663Saint Lucia: 8.614Trinidad and Tobago: 8.368Sint Maarten: 8.126Jamaica: 8.076Canada: 7.935Haiti: 7.817Argentina: 7.668Venezuela: 7.560El Salvador: 7.519Turks and Caicos Islands: 7.401Guyana: 7.320Bolivia: 7.172Brazil: 7.077Antigua and Barbuda: 6.893Anguilla: 6.685Suriname: 6.649Chile: 6.495Dominican Republic: 6.250Mexico: 6.161British Virgin Islands: 5.972Paraguay: 5.703Peru: 5.491Costa Rica: 5.457Colombia: 5.398Ecuador: 5.128Belize: 4.925Guatemala: 4.829Cayman Islands: 4.801Panama: 4.771Nicaragua: 4.586Honduras: 4.478Honduras 4.478United States Virgin Islands 15.411Asia51 comparedJapan: 12.257Georgia: 11.839North Korea: 9.684Armenia: 9.370Myanmar: 9.153Thailand: 8.888Taiwan: 8.806China: 8.213Hong Kong: 7.684Indonesia: 7.531Timor-Leste: 7.271Palestine: 7.198Sri Lanka: 7.072Cyprus: 7.063Nepal: 6.932Kazakhstan: 6.709South Korea: 6.677India: 6.611Vietnam: 6.577Azerbaijan: 6.575Pakistan: 6.466Cambodia: 6.390Türkiye: 6.321Philippines: 6.236Laos: 6.221Uzbekistan: 6.206Bhutan: 6.110Kyrgyzstan: 5.966Lebanon: 5.962Mongolia: 5.927Afghanistan: 5.797Turkmenistan: 5.781Israel: 5.542Brunei: 5.230Malaysia: 5.158Syria: 5.039Bangladesh: 5.010Macau: 4.795Yemen: 4.792Singapore: 4.790Iran: 4.672Tajikistan: 4.581Iraq: 4.132Jordan: 3.049Saudi Arabia: 2.340Maldives: 2.338Bahrain: 2.089Oman: 1.901Kuwait: 1.782United Arab Emirates: 0.932Qatar: 0.930Qatar 0.930Japan 12.257Europe48 comparedVatican City: 25.580Monaco: 20.971Bulgaria: 15.153Latvia: 14.670Lithuania: 14.344Croatia: 14.124Serbia: 13.868Moldova: 13.606Bosnia and Herzegovina: 13.457Romania: 13.449Belarus: 13.338Hungary: 13.221Ukraine: 13.130Greece: 12.401Russia: 12.341Germany: 12.231Estonia: 12.210Montenegro: 11.378Italy: 11.150Portugal: 11.113North Macedonia: 10.844Finland: 10.709Poland: 10.637Czechia: 10.502Isle of Man: 10.476Faroe Islands: 10.306Austria: 10.210Slovenia: 10.188Slovakia: 9.816Belgium: 9.715Denmark: 9.629United Kingdom: 9.518Spain: 9.339France: 9.273Netherlands: 9.194Sweden: 8.903Albania: 8.332Switzerland: 8.318San Marino: 8.012Norway: 7.998Liechtenstein: 7.580Malta: 7.371Luxembourg: 6.980Ireland: 6.841Iceland: 6.739Gibraltar: 6.510Andorra: 6.076Kosovo: 5.871Kosovo 5.871Vatican City 25.580Oceania21 comparedNiue: 14.721Palau: 11.495Cook Islands: 9.268Fiji: 9.255Tuvalu: 9.138Micronesia: 7.640Nauru: 7.519New Zealand: 7.285Kiribati: 7.046American Samoa: 7.021Marshall Islands: 6.968Australia: 6.953Guam: 6.868Papua New Guinea: 6.516Tonga: 6.442New Caledonia: 6.271Samoa: 6.157Solomon Islands: 5.141Vanuatu: 5.083Northern Mariana Islands: 4.704French Polynesia: 3.649French Polynesia 3.649Niue 14.721middle country 7.303

04All 222 ever measured

Every country

In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end is better, and the top of this table is the trap. The highest readings belong largely to ageing, long-lived populations and to very small states with unusual age structures; the lowest belong to young ones, including Gulf states whose populations are mostly working-age migrants. For how long people live, read life expectancy.

The raw table

Showing 25 of 222 countries

  1. Vatican CitySouthern Europe25.580
  2. MonacoWestern Europe20.971
  3. United States Virgin IslandsCaribbean15.411
  4. BulgariaEastern Europe15.153
  5. NiuePolynesia14.721
  6. LatviaNorthern Europe14.670
  7. LithuaniaNorthern Europe14.344
  8. CroatiaSouthern Europe14.124
  9. SerbiaSouthern Europe13.868
  10. MontserratCaribbean13.685
  11. MoldovaEastern Europe13.606
  12. Bosnia and HerzegovinaSouthern Europe13.457
  13. RomaniaEastern Europe13.449
  14. BelarusEastern Europe13.338
  15. HungaryEastern Europe13.221
  16. UkraineEastern Europe13.130
  17. DominicaCaribbean12.763
  18. GreeceSouthern Europe12.401
  19. RussiaEastern Europe12.341
  20. JapanEastern Asia12.257
  21. GermanyWestern Europe12.231
  22. EstoniaNorthern Europe12.210
  23. GeorgiaWestern Asia11.839
  24. NigeriaWestern Africa11.740
  25. Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesCaribbean11.499

Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.

051950–2023 · 74 reference years

Over time

Each point is one year's estimate, 1950 to 2023, as restated by the 2024 revision. In most countries the line fell for decades as mortality at every age dropped, and in many it is now rising again for a different reason — the population is older, not less healthy.

10152025195019601970198019902000201020202023EuropeAmericasAfricaOceaniaAsia
  • the middle country
  • the middle half of countries
  • the middle of the 222 countries measured every time
  • each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
YearCountriesMiddle countryMiddle halfMeasured every time
20232227.3036.053 – 9.3627.303
20222227.5416.096 – 9.5767.541
20212228.3386.681 – 10.2678.338
20202227.7116.417 – 9.6667.711
20192227.4086.121 – 9.3637.408
20182227.3716.115 – 9.5287.371
20172227.3606.067 – 9.4857.360
20162227.3226.049 – 9.4397.322
20152227.4556.018 – 9.5397.455
20142227.4465.990 – 9.5667.446
20132227.5085.925 – 9.5767.508
20122227.5465.923 – 9.7927.546
20112227.5295.877 – 9.7657.529
20102227.6485.822 – 9.7577.648
20092227.7685.897 – 9.7627.768
20082227.8375.890 – 9.9037.837
20072227.9615.907 – 9.9867.961
20062227.9185.888 – 10.0117.918
20052228.0345.904 – 10.1598.034
20042228.0535.953 – 10.2668.053
20032227.9515.969 – 10.3887.951
20022227.9495.983 – 10.6117.949
20012228.0816.106 – 10.7948.081
20002228.2006.176 – 10.7858.200
19992228.3906.249 – 11.0888.390
19982228.4706.356 – 11.0968.470
19972228.5166.147 – 11.2578.516
19962228.5936.152 – 11.1758.593
19952228.6256.252 – 11.3358.625
19942228.5496.320 – 11.2868.549
19932228.4596.378 – 11.4498.459
19922228.4996.488 – 11.3728.499
19912228.5416.583 – 11.3478.541
19902228.5876.754 – 11.3078.587
19892228.6106.769 – 11.5608.610
19882228.7396.768 – 11.6688.739
19872228.7526.791 – 11.7688.752
19862228.9006.897 – 11.8978.900
19852229.0826.935 – 12.1619.082
19842229.1986.940 – 12.4389.198
19832229.4507.069 – 12.4549.450
19822229.3887.264 – 12.6289.388
19812229.6127.309 – 12.7059.612
19802229.7017.308 – 13.0279.701
19792229.7507.295 – 13.0109.750
19782229.7687.365 – 13.0639.768
19772229.8227.486 – 13.2439.822
19762229.9397.731 – 13.8929.939
197522210.1417.608 – 13.88410.141
197422210.2507.687 – 14.37210.250
197322210.2587.919 – 14.42410.258
197222210.3398.041 – 15.08710.339
197122210.5268.149 – 15.42910.526
197022210.7218.357 – 16.01310.721
196922211.1758.320 – 16.19011.175
196822211.1458.364 – 16.48011.145
196722211.2068.444 – 16.75211.206
196622211.6248.628 – 17.13811.624
196522211.8848.731 – 17.77611.884
196422212.1308.918 – 17.89512.130
196322212.6579.261 – 18.60512.657
196222212.8039.378 – 18.95012.803
196122213.3209.431 – 19.41913.320
196022213.7499.760 – 19.92613.749
195922214.1369.980 – 20.32714.136
195822214.5239.988 – 20.63214.523
195722214.87510.488 – 21.19214.875
195622215.33110.792 – 21.54015.331
195522215.74411.048 – 22.16015.744
195422216.27311.201 – 22.81616.273
195322217.00911.673 – 23.35217.009
195222217.58211.955 – 23.91117.582
195122218.16712.295 – 24.36718.167
195022218.83012.380 – 24.41018.830

062022 → 2023

Who rose and fell

The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.

Rose most

before → after
  1. Palestine2.992 → 7.198+4.206
  2. Libya4.808 → 6.654+1.846
  3. Vatican City23.953 → 25.580+1.627
  4. Moldova13.070 → 13.606+0.536
  5. China7.717 → 8.213+0.496

Fell most

before → after
  1. Central African Republic55.126 → 9.419−45.707
  2. Somalia12.812 → 9.835−2.977
  3. Monaco23.496 → 20.971−2.525
  4. Serbia15.850 → 13.868−1.982
  5. Bulgaria16.924 → 15.153−1.771

222 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.

07Across every edition

Death rate in records

The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.

08The measure

About death rate

The crude death rate is the number of people who die in a year for every 1,000 people living in a country. It is not a measure of how healthy a country is: because it takes no account of age, an old population records more deaths per head than a young one even where each person's chance of dying is lower.

What the number is: Deaths per 1,000 population.

What it does not measure

It is not a measure of health. It rises as a population grows older, so a long-lived country can have a higher death rate than a country where people die younger.

09Where it fits

Connections

Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.

All statistics

In the Country Index

Context, with no vote

This statistic is published in full under People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.

People & PopulationWhich statistics vote, and why

Moves with

Where death rate is higher, these tend to be higher too.

Moves against

Where death rate is higher, these tend to be lower.

Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 190 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.

On the same subject

10Keep reading

Explore further

More from UN DESA Population Division

11Questions

Death rate: questions and answers

Which country has the highest death rate?

Vatican City, at 25.580, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.

Which country has the lowest death rate?

Qatar, at 0.930, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.

How many countries does the Crude Death Rate cover?

222 in 2023.

What is the world average death rate?

This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 222 compared in 2023, the figure was 7.303.

Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?

No ranking is shown. UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.

How often is the Crude Death Rate published?

This site holds 74 reference years, 1950–2023, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 74 separate publications.

Where does the data come from, and can I download it?

From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download. Projections are excluded. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.

12Method

Sources, method and citation

Source

Crude Death Rate — UN DESA Population Division

From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download. Projections are excluded.

Newest edition

Report year 2023Data year 2023

Cite the source as: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024. New York: United Nations.

Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-26.

The full 2023 table, row for row

How this page reads the numbers

  • No rank or position is shown: UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
  • This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
  • A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
  • Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.

The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.

Cite this page

Nations Inquiry (2026). Death rate by country: Crude Death Rate, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/crude-death-rate

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