UNICEF's country profile for Sweden, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in Sweden amounted to two. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 14.3, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.200 Ratio in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.200 Ratio for 2015. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 2.200 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.200 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 2.200 Ratio in 2017. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, female is the number of female infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 female live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Historical dataset showing Sweden infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

The child mortality rate in Sweden, for children under the age of five, was 381 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that approximately 38 percent of all children born in 1800 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, particularly from 1880 onwards, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just two deaths per thousand births, which is the lowest in the world.

Sweden: Infant deaths per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 2 deaths per 1000 live births, unchanged from 2 deaths per 1000 live births in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 19 deaths per 1000 live births, based on data from 187 countries. Historically, the average for Sweden from 1960 to 2022 is 6 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 2 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2012 while the maximum of 16 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1960.

Actual value and historical data chart for Sweden Mortality Rate Infant Per 1 000 Live Births

In 2022, the infant mortality rate in Sweden was **** deaths per 1,000 live births. From 1980 to 2022 the annual mortality rate in Sweden has decreased dramatically from approximately seven deaths per 1,000 live births to around two deaths per 1,000. The infant mortality rate is an indicator used for several reasons, one of which is health assessment, providing an insight into the overall healthcare system. Other reasons include public health policy, quality of life, and global comparisons.

Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.300 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.400 Ratio for 2016. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 6.100 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.300 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.300 Ratio in 2017. Sweden SE: Mortality Rate: Infant: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in Sweden was reported at 1.8 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sweden - Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

This statistic shows the 20 countries * with the lowest infant mortality rate in 2024. An estimated 1.5 out of 1,000 live births died in the first year of life in Slovenia and Singapore in 2024. Infant mortality Infant mortality rates are often used as an indicator of the health and well-being of a nation. Monaco, Iceland, and Japan are among the top three countries with the lowest infant mortality rates with around 2 infant deaths per 1,000 infants within their first year of life. Generally, the countries with the lowest infant mortality also have some of the highest average life expectancy figures. Additionally, the countries with the highest density of physicians and doctors also generally report low infant mortality. Yet, many different factors contribute to differing rates, including the overall income of a country, health spending per capita, a mother’s level of education, environmental conditions, and medical infrastructure, to name a few. This creates a lot of variation concerning the level of childbirth and infant care around the world. The countries with the highest rates of infant mortality include Afghanistan, Mali, and Somalia. These countries experience around 100 infant deaths per 1,000 infants in their first year of life. While the reasons for high rates of infant mortality are numerous, the leading causes of death for children under the year five around the world are Pneumonia, Diarrhea, and Prematurity.

Actual value and historical data chart for Sweden Number Of Infant Deaths

Sweden SE: Number of Death: Infant data was reported at 279.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 286.000 Person for 2016. Sweden SE: Number of Death: Infant data is updated yearly, averaging 636.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,768.000 Person in 1960 and a record low of 276.000 Person in 2013. Sweden SE: Number of Death: Infant data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Number of infants dying before reaching one year of age.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Sum;

A confidence interval: 95%.a The first hospital episode (FHE) starts at the day of birth and includes all continuous hospital days, including transfers between different hospitals.Risk adjusted average number of hospital days during FHE.a

Sweden SE: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data was reported at 2.600 NA in 2050. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.600 NA for 2049. Sweden SE: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data is updated yearly, averaging 2.600 NA from Jun 1991 (Median) to 2050, with 60 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.200 NA in 1991 and a record low of 2.100 NA in 2011. Sweden SE: UCB Projection: Mortality Rate: Infant per 1000 Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by US Census Bureau. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.US Census Bureau: Demographic Projection.

In the pre-vaccination era in Sweden, smallpox was responsible for a considerable number of deaths annually, with over 92 percent* of these deaths occurring in children below the age of ten. Between 1774 and 1798, records show that smallpox was responsible for an average of 4,131 deaths annually, with 2,370 (over 57 percent) of these occurring in children below the age of three. When compared with similar studies from Switzerland and Scotland during this time period, we can see that the proportion of deaths among infants and children was even lower in Sweden than in other areas; highlighting the devastating impact that smallpox had on Europe's infant and child mortality rates before vaccination became available.

aThe Netherlands: 2006–2007, Norway: 2008–2009bThe European Perinatal Health Report 2008 is based on data from 2004, incidence figs are per 100 live-born infantscThe linkage is between MBR and Cause of Death Registry. The linkage with the HDR for LoS analysis was 65%dThe linkage is between MBR and Cause of Death Registry. The linkage with the HDR for LoS analysis was 58%Number and proportion of VLBW and VLGA infants among live-born infants in EuroHOPE data.

a For the >32 weeks category, figs for the Netherlands were too small to be reported for two of the gestational age groupings.b Only linkable infants included.Unadjusted mortality rates (%) within 30 days: by gestational age.

The objective of this paper was to compare health outcomes and hospital care use of very low birth weight (VLBW), and very preterm (VLGA) infants in seven European countries. Analysis was performed on linkable patient-level registry data from seven European countries between 2006 and 2008 (Finland, Hungary, Italy (the Province of Rome), the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden). Mortality and length of stay (LoS) were adjusted for differences in gestational age (GA), sex, intrauterine growth, Apgar score at five minutes, parity and multiple births. The analysis included 16,087 infants. Both the 30-day and one-year adjusted mortality rates were lowest in the Nordic countries (Finland, Sweden and Norway) and Scotland and highest in Hungary and the Netherlands. For survivors, the adjusted average LoS during the first year of life ranged from 56 days in the Netherlands and Scotland to 81 days in Hungary. There were large differences between European countries in mortality rates and LoS in VLBW and VLGA infants. Substantial data linkage problems were observed in most countries due to inadequate identification procedures at birth, which limit data validity and should be addressed by policy makers across Europe.

Male life expectancy of Sweden went up by 0.37% from 81.4 years in 2022 to 81.7 years in 2023. Since the 1.10% downward trend in 2020, male life expectancy improved by 1.36% in 2023. Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life.