Child Mortality (under 5) in Tanzania: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

Statistics are never just numbers on a page; they are the measurable outlines of human lives. At MYRIAD, we look at the raw data of existence, tracking how many children manage to survive their earliest years. In Tanzania, of every 1,000 children born, how many died before their fifth birthday reveals an immense weight of history, grief, and eventual triumph. Every single value tells a true story about the families who lived, loved, and mourned across the generations, turning personal sorrow into a vast collective record.

When we map this reality across three centuries, a profound transformation emerges. In the 1800s estimate, the toll was devastatingly high at 450 per 1,000 births, ticking down slowly through the decades with figures like 436 in the 1870s estimate. By 1900 it was 430 per 1,000 births, before accelerating downward through the mid-century markers of 320 in the 1950s and 180 in the 1980s. Progress continued as the decades turned, reaching 112.5 in the 2010s.

Today, in the 2020s, child mortality (under 5) in Tanzania stands at 75 per 1,000 births — ranking #152 of 157 countries. Looking forward, projections anticipate further relief, moving toward 60 in the 2030s projection and eventually 12.58 in the 2100s projection. If you were born in Tanzania across these different eras, your statistical probability of reaching adulthood changed dramatically with every passing decade. Where do YOU rank among everyone ever born? →