Child and infant mortality rose slightly in 2022

Child and infant mortality rates in England and Wales have fallen steeply since records began in the 1980s, but progress has slowed considerably in recent years. In 2022, mortality rates for all age groups were higher than in 2021.

Children (aged 1 to 15 years)

In 2022 there were 1,019 child deaths in England and Wales, or 10 deaths per 100,000 people. This is up from 852 deaths in 2021, or 8 per 100,000 people.

Infants (aged under 1 year)

In 2022 there were 2,349 infant deaths, equal to 3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. This is up slightly from 2,323 deaths in 2021, equal to 3.7 per 1,000 live births.

Neonates (aged under 28 days)

In 2022, 75% of infant deaths (1,764) were deaths of neonates aged under 28 days. The neonatal mortality rate was 2.9 deaths per 1,000 live births, up slightly from 2.7 per 1,000 live births in 2021.

Stillbirths

There were 4.0 stillbirths per 1,000 births in England and Wales in 2022.

The infant mortality rate in England and Wales has fallen steeply in recent decades, with the current rate almost 70% lower than it was when records began in 1980. This is likely to be a result of general improvements in antenatal and neonatal care.

However, this progress has slowed. The infant mortality rate has remained fairly stable over the past 10 years, with small rises recorded in both 2021 and 2022.

We look at those aged under 28 days (neonates) because they are some of the most vulnerable infants.

In England, the government has set an ambition to halve the 2010 neonatal mortality rate (for babies born at 24 weeks or later) and stillbirth rate by 2025. This means a target of 1.0 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births, and a target of 2.6 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2025.

The neonatal mortality rate and stillbirth rate in England are both lower than they were in 2010, although there has been little progress since 2020.

In 2022, the leading cause of death for children aged 28 days to 15 years was congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (birth defects), accounting for 17.7% of deaths. This was followed by neoplasms (tumours), at 14.7%.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) appeared on 2.7% of death certificates of children aged 28 days to 15 years in 2022 (a slight decrease from 2.9% in 2021). Of these deaths, COVID-19 was listed as an underlying cause of death in just over half.

Mortality rates can differ based on certain traits of babies and their parents. We call these characteristics that are associated with differences in mortality rates risk factors.

There are many risk factors that we cannot explore with the data we have, such as whether the mother smokes or is obese, and alcohol consumption levels. For more information, see the Child Health in 2030 in England report from the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child health.

Risk factors for infant deaths that we can examine include birthweight, ethnicity, deprivation and maternal age.

Birthweight

Birthweight is a trait closely associated with infant mortality. The mortality rate for infants with low birthweight (weighing under 2.5 kilograms) was 29.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022. Infants weighing 2.5 kilograms or more had a much lower mortality rate, at 0.8 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Deprivation

Infants from the most deprived areas have consistently seen higher mortality rates than those from the least deprived areas.

In 2022, infants from the most deprived 10% of areas in England had a mortality rate of 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. This was almost three times the mortality rate of infants from the 10% of areas with the lowest deprivation levels (2.2 deaths per 1,000 live births).

Deprivation levels are recorded using a geography called lower layer super output areas, or LSOAs.

Infants in England and Wales with a parent in an occupation classed as “routine” had higher mortality rates than infants with a parent working in a “higher managerial, administrative or professional” job. We carried out these comparisons using the National Statistics Socio-economic classification system. The figures are available in the Data on child and infant mortality section.

Ethnicity

Infants from Black and Asian ethnic groups have consistently had higher mortality rates than those of other ethnicities. For both groups, the mortality rate has risen since 2020.

Meanwhile, infants from White ethnic groups have consistently seen the lowest mortality rates.

Maternal age

Infants born to mothers aged under 20 years, or mothers aged 40 years and over, have had higher mortality rates over the past decade than infants born to mothers in their 20s or 30s.

Infants born to mothers aged under 20 years had the highest mortality rate in 2022, at 5.5 deaths per 1,000 live births. Meanwhile, infants born to mothers aged 30 to 39 years had the lowest mortality rate, at 3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.

For neonates (babies aged under 28 days), immaturity-related conditions (problems associated with premature birth) accounted for 51.2% of deaths.

Congenital abnormalities and antepartum infections combined accounted for another 41.6%.

Gestational age

An important risk factor for neonatal deaths is gestational age, with premature birth increasing the risk of serious health complications.

The mortality rate for neonates born before 24 weeks' gestation was 778.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. Although only representing about 0.1% of all live births, these babies accounted for 37.1% of all neonatal deaths in 2022.

In comparison, the neonatal mortality rate for babies born at 37 to 41 weeks’ gestation (over 90% of all live births) was 0.5 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Improvements in neonatal mortality rates

Improvements in the neonatal mortality rate since 2010 have been more significant for babies of higher gestational ages. The mortality rate for babies born between 27 and 41 weeks has fallen by 35.6%, while for babies born before 24 weeks' gestation, it has fallen by just 5.4%.

Accredited official statistics

These accredited official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in 2012. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled "Accredited official statistics".

For more on accredited official statistics, read the Office for Statistics Regulation guidance.

Visit Child Bereavement UK for free and confidential bereavement support and guidance. You can contact their helpline on 0800 02888 40 or use the live web chat service on their website.

The Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS) also offers support for anyone affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a child.

Office for National Statistics (ONS), released 31 May 2024, ONS website, statistical bulletin, Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2022