Trends

Inequalities

Trends in infant mortality

In the UK, about 1 in every 200 babies is stillborn, and a similar number of live born babies die in the first year of life. Within the UK, the South West fares relatively better. However, there is little cause for complacency as the UK as a whole has one of the worst infant mortality rates in Europe and the developed world (Table 1). This highlights the potential for health gain.

Table 1: Infant mortality rates for selected countries and regions, 1998 (unless stated otherwise)