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

The infant mortality rate in Finland has fluctuated over the last 10 years. In 2015, the infant mortality rate was 1.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, which was the lowest figure ever recorded in the country. The infant mortality rate fluctuated in the years that followed, amounting to 2.1 per thousand live births in 2024.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in Finland stood at 1.8. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 20.1, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for Finland (SPDYNIMRTINFIN) from 1960 to 2023 about mortality, infant, Finland, and rate.

The infant mortality rate in Finland, for children under the age of one year old, was over 222 deaths per thousand births in 1870. This means that for all babies born in 1870, over 22 percent did not survive past their first birthday. This rate generally decreased over the next century and a half, with the only spikes recorded in the late 1910s, as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic that spread across the globe. Nowadays, Finland has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world, with just two deaths per thousand births in 2020.

Finland FI: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 1.700 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.800 Ratio for 2015. Finland FI: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 2.200 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.900 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 1.700 Ratio in 2016. Finland FI: 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 Finland – Table FI.World Bank: 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 Finland infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

The child mortality rate in Finland, for children under the age of five, was 420 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that for every thousand babies born in 1800, roughly 42 percent did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births, which is the lowest of any country n the world. Since 1800, the child mortality rate in Finland has dropped gradually, particularly since the turn of the twentieth century, and the only time since 1900 where the mortality rate increased was between 1915 and 1920, as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic that swept across the globe.

Finland: 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 Finland from 1960 to 2022 is 7 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 2 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2011 while the maximum of 22 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1960.

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.

1.8 (deaths per 1,000 live births) in 2023. Infant mortality rate is the number of infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) in Finland was reported at 2 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Finland - Mortality rate, infant, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Number of infant deaths in Finland was reported at 80 deaths in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Finland - Number of infant deaths - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Finland FI: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 2.300 Ratio in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 2.300 Ratio for 2016. Finland FI: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 7.000 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.800 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.300 Ratio in 2017. Finland FI: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified 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 (per 1,000 live births) in Finland was reported at 1.8 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Finland - Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

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.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in Finland was reported at 1.7 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Finland - Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Finland FI: Number of Death: Infant data was reported at 110.000 Person in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 114.000 Person for 2016. Finland FI: Number of Death: Infant data is updated yearly, averaging 364.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,826.000 Person in 1960 and a record low of 110.000 Person in 2017. Finland FI: Number of Death: Infant data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.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

Finland FI: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting data was reported at 83.832 % in 2010. This records a decrease from the previous number of 94.012 % for 2008. Finland FI: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting data is updated yearly, averaging 94.012 % from Dec 2007 (Median) to 2010, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 95.833 % in 2007 and a record low of 83.832 % in 2010. Finland FI: Completeness of Infant Death Reporting data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Finland – Table FI.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Completeness of infant death reporting is the number of infant deaths reported by national statistics authorities to the United Nations Statistics Division's Demography Yearbook divided by the number of infant deaths estimated by the United Nations Population Division.; ; The United Nations Statistics Division's Population and Vital Statistics Report and the United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects.; ;