IMR

The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths per year under one year of age per thousand live births, including the neonatal deaths.

The infant mortality rate varies with respect to social class of the mother - the lowest rate is seen in mothers of social class 1 (relative risk = 1). Social class II and III mothers (non-manual) have a relative risk of 1.1. Social class IV mothers (manual) have a relative risk of 1.6, and social class V mothers have a relative risk of 2.2. Higher infant mortality rates occur in illegitimate births and children born to teenage mothers.

In England and Wales in 2023:

• 2,320 infant deaths (aged under one year) and 961 child deaths (aged 1 to 15 years) occurred; these figures are lower than in 2022 (2,349 and 1,019, respectively).
• There were 3.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (unchanged from 2022), and 9 child deaths per 100,000 population (down from 10 in 2022).
• The neonatal mortality rate (aged under 28 days) was 3.0 deaths per 1,000 live births; the mortality rate was generally lower for neonates of longer gestations.
• The highest rates of infant mortality were among infants with a birthweight under 2,500 g, of Black ethnicity, or with a mother aged under 20 years.
• The main cause of death among children aged 28 days to 15 years continued to be congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities.
• In England, the mortality rate for infants living in the 10% most deprived areas was over twice the mortality rate for infants living in the 10% least deprived areas.

Reference

1. ONS. Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2023. Stillbirths, infant and childhood deaths occurring annually in England and Wales, and associated risk factors. (online)