In 2023, the infant mortality rate in deaths per 1,000 live births in the United Kingdom was four. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 18.9, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 2020, infant mortality in the United Kingdom was below **** deaths per 1000 live births. Since 2000, the infant mortality rate in the UK has steadily decreased almost year-on-year. The infant mortality rate is an indicator used for several reasons, one of them is health assessment, providing an insight into the overall healthcare system. Other reasons include public health policy, quality of life, and global comparisons.

The United Kingdom: Infant deaths per 1000 live births: The latest value from 2022 is 4 deaths per 1000 live births, unchanged from 4 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 the United Kingdom from 1960 to 2022 is 10 deaths per 1000 live births. The minimum value, 4 deaths per 1000 live births, was reached in 2010 while the maximum of 23 deaths per 1000 live births was recorded in 1960.

Infant deaths under 1 year of age per 1000 live births.

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This dataset presents the crude rate of infant mortality, defined as the number of deaths of infants aged under 1 year per 1,000 live births. It is a fundamental indicator of child health and wellbeing, reflecting the broader social, economic, and environmental conditions in which children are born and raised.

Rationale Reducing the infant mortality rate is a key public health objective. High rates may indicate issues related to maternal health, access to healthcare, socioeconomic inequalities, or environmental risks. Monitoring this indicator supports efforts to improve early life outcomes and reduce health disparities.

Numerator The numerator is the number of infant deaths (under 1 year of age) registered during the relevant period. Data are sourced from the Deaths Register.

Denominator The denominator is the number of live births registered during the same period. Births are assigned to geographical areas based on the mother’s usual residence. Data are sourced from the Births Register.

Caveats Live births are geographically assigned based on the mother’s usual residence, which may differ from the location of the birth or death. This should be considered when interpreting local-level data.

External References Fingertips Public Health Profiles – Infant Mortality Rate

Click here to explore more from the Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care Partnerships Outcome Framework.

Actual value and historical data chart for United Kingdom Mortality Rate Infant Female Per 1000 Live Births

United Kingdom UK: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 4.300 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.400 Ratio for 2016. United Kingdom UK: Mortality Rate: Under-5: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 10.150 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.600 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 4.300 Ratio in 2017. United Kingdom UK: 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 United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: 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.

The infant mortality rate in the United Kingdom, for children under the age of one (twelve months), was 31.7 deaths per thousand births in 1950. Approximately 3.2 percent of children born in 1950 did not survive past their first birthday. Over the course of the next 70 years, this number has dropped significantly. It amounted to just four deaths per thousand births in the period between 2015 and 2020, the lowest figure recorded.

The child mortality rate in the United Kingdom, for children under the age of five, was 329 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that approximately one in every three 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 in the first half of the twentieth century, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just four deaths per thousand births.

United Kingdom UK: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 3.900 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 3.900 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 4.600 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.100 Ratio in 1990 and a record low of 3.900 Ratio in 2016. United Kingdom UK: Mortality Rate: Under-5: 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 UK – Table UK.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female 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.

Infant mortality rate (under 1 year old), per 1,000 live births

This dataset contains counts of deaths under one year of age and infant mortality rates, The infant mortality rates are also based on the 3-year period and are calculated as the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS) Publisher: Neighbourhood Statistics Geographies: Local Authority District (LAD), County/Unitary Authority, Government Office Region (GOR), National Geographic coverage: England and Wales Time coverage: 1998-2000 to 2003-2005 Type of data: Administrative data

Infant and Perinatal Deaths and Mortality. Perinatal deaths are deaths occuring after 22 weeks of pregnancy, during childbirth and up to 7 complicated days of life. Infant deaths under 1 year per 1000 live births. Relevant links: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/child-mortality-statistics--childhood--infant-and-perinatal/index.html https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/

United Kingdom UK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 9.100 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.200 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 11.300 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.200 Ratio in 1963 and a record low of 8.700 Ratio in 2011. United Kingdom UK: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

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

Actual value and historical data chart for British Virgin Islands Mortality Rate Infant Per 1000 Live Births

Annual data on death registrations by area of usual residence in the UK. Summary tables including age-standardised mortality rates.

ObjectivesWe aimed to describe ethnic variations in infant mortality and explore the contribution of area deprivation, mother’s country of birth, and prematurity to these variations.MethodsWe analyzed routine birth and death data on singleton live births (gestational age≥22 weeks) in England and Wales, 2006–2012. Infant mortality by ethnic group was analyzed using logistic regression with adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and gestational age.ResultsIn the 4,634,932 births analyzed, crude infant mortality rates were higher in Pakistani, Black Caribbean, Black African, and Bangladeshi infants (6.92, 6.00, 5.17 and 4.40 per 1,000 live births, respectively vs. 2.87 in White British infants). Adjustment for maternal sociodemographic characteristics changed the results little. Further adjustment for gestational age strongly attenuated the risk in Black Caribbean (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.89–1.17) and Black African infants (1.17, 1.06–1.29) but not in Pakistani (2.32, 2.15–2.50), Bangladeshi (1.47, 1.28–1.69), and Indian infants (1.24, 1.11–1.38). Ethnic variations in infant mortality differed significantly between term and preterm infants. At term, South Asian groups had higher risks which cannot be explained by sociodemographic characteristics. In preterm infants, adjustment for degree of prematurity (

In 2021 the live birth rate of the United Kingdom fell to 10.4 births per 1,000 population, the lowest it had been during this time period. The UK's birth rate has been declining steadily since 2010 when the birth rate was 12.9 births per 1,000 population. After 1938, the year with the highest birth rate in the UK was 1947, when the crude birth rate was 21.2 births per 1,000 population. Under two children per mother in 2021 The most recent crude live birth rate for this statistic is based on the 694,685 births, that occurred in 2021 as well as the mid-year population estimate of 67 million for the United Kingdom. It has a close relation to the fertility rate which estimates the average number of children women are expected to have in their lifetime, which was 1.53 in this reporting year. Among the constituent countries of the UK, Northern Ireland had the highest birth rate at 11.6, followed by England at 10.5, Wales at 9.3, and Scotland at 8.7. International comparisons The UK is not alone in seeing its birth and fertility rates decline dramatically in recent decades. Across the globe, fertility rates have fallen noticeably since the 1960s, with the fertility rate for Asia, Europe, and the Americas being below two in 2021. As of this year, the global fertility rate was 2.31, and was by far the highest in Africa, which had a fertility rate of 4.12, although this too has fallen from a high of 6.72 in the late 1960s. A reduction in infant mortality, as well as better access to contraception, are factors that have typically influenced declining fertility rates recently.

Mortality rate, infant, female (per 1,000 live births) in British Virgin Islands was reported at 11.8 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. British Virgin Islands - 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.