Rates of malnourishment among children in Namibia decreased between 2006 and 2013 from 3.8 to 2.6 per cent for severe cases, and from 16.6 to 13.4 per cent for children moderately underweight for their age. The incidence of malnourishment was highest in rural areas, especially among children who were severely underweight for their age.

Infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday; infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Under-five mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under 5 years old per 1,000 live births. Several patterns are clear in these graphs. Mortality rates dropped significantly between 1991 and 2013, presumably because of improved health care and nutrition. The chances of infants or children under 5 years dying in urban areas are lower than in rural areas, most probably because access to effective health care is greater in towns than in remote rural areas. Although not illustrated here, mortality rates of young boys are slightly higher than those of young girls.