Mortality Rate in Pakistan: Crude, Infant, Maternal and Child Mortality Explained

“Mortality rate in Pakistan” covers several different measures — crude, infant, child and maternal — and they tell different stories. This guide defines each one, gives the latest verified figures, and explains what they reveal about Pakistan’s health.

The Four Mortality Rates, Defined

• Crude mortality rate: deaths per 1,000 total population per year — the headline number (~6.4).
• Infant mortality rate (IMR): deaths of infants under one year per 1,000 live births.
• Under-five mortality: deaths of children under five per 1,000 live births.
• Maternal mortality ratio (MMR): maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.

Latest Figures for Pakistan

• Crude death rate: 6.4 per 1,000 (UN WPP 2024, 2024–25); 5.94 (CIA, 2023 est.); 6.7 (Pakistan Demographic Survey 2020).
• Life expectancy at birth: 68.1 years (World Bank, 2024).
• Population: ~251.3 million (World Bank, 2024) — the world’s 5th largest.
• Estimated annual deaths: ~1.6 million.

Infant, child and maternal figures move with each survey round (PDHS, MICS); the consistent finding across rounds is steady improvement but a persistent gap with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India on child survival.

How Pakistan Compares Regionally

On the crude rate, Pakistan (~6.4) looks similar to its neighbours — because all of South Asia has young populations. The differences emerge in life expectancy (~68 years vs ~72 in India, ~75 in Bangladesh, ~78 in Sri Lanka, per World Bank 2024) and in child and maternal survival, where Pakistan trails. In other words: Pakistanis die at similar crude rates because the population is young — but they die younger than their neighbours.

What Would Bring Rates Down

• Skilled birth attendance and emergency obstetric care — the single biggest lever on maternal and neonatal deaths.
• Childhood immunisation coverage, especially in remote districts.
• Nutrition: stunting and wasting drive a large share of under-five deaths.
• Clean water and sanitation to cut diarrhoeal deaths.
• A real mortality registry: as Pakistani medical researchers have argued, the country needs a reliable nationwide cause-of-death database — you cannot fix what you do not count.

For the headline statistics and 75-year trend, see our death rate in Pakistan pillar and life expectancy in Pakistan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the mortality rate in Pakistan?

The crude mortality rate is about 6.4 deaths per 1,000 people per year (UN, 2024–25). Specific rates — infant, child, maternal — are measured separately and remain higher than regional peers.

What is the infant mortality rate in Pakistan?

Pakistan’s infant and under-five mortality have fallen substantially since 1990 but remain among the highest in South Asia; exact current figures come from the latest PDHS/MICS survey rounds.

Why is Pakistan’s life expectancy lower than India’s?

Higher child and maternal mortality, a heavier infectious-disease burden, and weaker primary healthcare coverage — despite a similar crude death rate driven by Pakistan’s young population.

How is mortality data collected in Pakistan?

Through surveys (Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, MICS), the decennial census, and UN/World Bank modelled estimates. Pakistan lacks a complete vital-registration system, so many deaths go uncertified.