This dataset contains the anonymized data used for the analysis of the manuscript entitled "Time to mortality and its predictors among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit with sepsis in Southern Ethiopia hospitals: A prospective follow-up study." The study was conducted among neonates admitted with neonatal sepsis to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in hospitals in Southern Ethiopia. The dataset includes : Socio-demographic variables, Maternal and obstetric related variables, Maternal chronic disease, Neonatal complications/comorbidities/ related variables, Neonatal-related variables, Institutional and professional factors, and outcome variables used for survival analysis and identification of predictors of mortality. All direct personal identifiers have been removed to protect participant confidentiality. The dataset is provided to support transparency, reproducibility, and verification of the findings reported in the associated manuscript.