Infant mortality
During the year 2013 there were 245 deaths of infants under one year, compared to 237 in 2012. The infant mortality rate, which was 3.3 per 1,000 births in 2012, increased to 3.6 in 2013. See tables 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3.
Infant mortality rates in the EU-28
Ireland, together with France, had an infant mortality rate of 3.6 per 1,000 live births. Romania had the highest rate at 9.2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Cyprus had the lowest rate, 1.6 per 1,000 live births. See fig. 4.1.
| Country | Infant mortality rate |
|---|---|
| Romania | 9.2 |
| Bulgaria | 7.3 |
| Malta | 6.7 |
| Slovakia | 5.5 |
| Hungary | 5 |
| Poland | 4.6 |
| Latvia | 4.4 |
| Croatia | 4.1 |
| Luxembourg | 3.9 |
| Netherlands | 3.8 |
| United Kingdom | 3.8 |
| Greece | 3.7 |
| Lithuania | 3.7 |
| Ireland | 3.6 |
| France | 3.6 |
| Belgium | 3.5 |
| Denmark | 3.5 |
| Germany | 3.3 |
| Austria | 3.1 |
| Italy | 2.9 |
| Portugal | 2.9 |
| Slovenia | 2.9 |
| Spain | 2.7 |
| Sweden | 2.7 |
| Czech Republic | 2.5 |
| Estonia | 2.1 |
| Finland | 1.8 |
| Cyprus | 1.6 |
Infant Mortality by detailed age
Over a third (39.2%) of all infant deaths occurred within the first day of birth and 62.9% occurred within the first week.
There were 181 neonatal deaths (deaths of infants under 4 weeks) in 2013, a decrease of 4 on the 2012 figure. The neonatal mortality rate of 2.6 per 1,000 live births was the same as the 2012 figure. See tables 4.2, 4.3 and 4.8.
| Year | Infant | Neonatal | Post neonatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 17.9587559850392 | 12.705019428638 | 5.25373655640126 |
| 1974 | 17.8066089076581 | 11.6098509585383 | 6.19675794911983 |
| 1975 | 17.505731042901 | 11.9533180505523 | 5.55241299234869 |
| 1976 | 15.6598886540236 | 10.4796213045938 | 5.18026734942987 |
| 1977 | 15.5170411658828 | 9.88503744992162 | 5.63200371596121 |
| 1978 | 14.8793012702883 | 9.84366776198808 | 5.03563350830026 |
| 1979 | 12.7793324970016 | 8.40926949640883 | 4.37006300059278 |
| 1980 | 11.0850075610283 | 6.72391445236552 | 4.36109310866278 |
| 1981 | 10.3384240139693 | 6.52734277557582 | 3.81108123839353 |
| 1982 | 10.5162119051988 | 6.57792583600356 | 3.93828606919526 |
| 1983 | 10.0868632388218 | 6.09383613689527 | 3.99302710192649 |
| 1984 | 9.63129468327558 | 5.96297336954825 | 3.66832131372733 |
| 1985 | 8.84785535679938 | 5.25742129896775 | 3.59043405783163 |
| 1986 | 8.87698799091204 | 4.99837715027588 | 3.87861084063616 |
| 1987 | 7.94071842965448 | 4.31263156093303 | 3.62808686872144 |
| 1988 | 8.58156028368794 | 5.15957446808511 | 3.42198581560284 |
| 1989 | 8.13180053058557 | 4.78680456764966 | 3.34499596293591 |
| 1990 | 8.18188673554031 | 4.80732976396953 | 3.37455697157077 |
| 1991 | 7.60651011039872 | 5.00777722978869 | 2.59873288061004 |
| 1992 | 6.47888978057899 | 4.28663704515649 | 2.1922527354225 |
| 1993 | 6.12526367029044 | 4.01590134674671 | 2.10936232354373 |
| 1994 | 5.74033778883017 | 3.9995855351777 | 1.74075225365247 |
| 1995 | 6.37464898436059 | 4.75536515875131 | 1.61928382560928 |
| 1996 | 5.98164050932781 | 4.12595005428882 | 1.85569045503899 |
| 1997 | 6.08242539081004 | 3.5243960208432 | 2.55802936996684 |
| 1998 | 5.85521317793548 | 3.44642294650633 | 1.59350738386852 |
| 1999 | 5.87864401750612 | 4.04272680068244 | 1.83591721682368 |
| 2000 | 6.16912153899505 | 4.27093029622734 | 1.89819124276771 |
| 2001 | 5.72129844090296 | 3.97552459639783 | 1.74577384450513 |
| 2002 | 5.04107234352016 | 3.57007090557493 | 1.47100143794523 |
| 2003 | 5.29831461587219 | 3.78683222545466 | 1.51148239041753 |
| 2004 | 4.63112373329891 | 3.37249080229781 | 1.2586329310011 |
| 2005 | 3.84540181190119 | 2.72111060418432 | 1.12429120771687 |
| 2006 | 3.9 | 2.7 | 1.2 |
| 2007 | 3.22178486881732 | 2.1852106066761 | 1.03657426214123 |
| 2008 | 3.77795219028109 | 2.66052971146555 | 1.11742247881553 |
| 2009 | 3.26918495380787 | 2.22357519125394 | 1.04560976255393 |
| 2010 | 3.60496980338947 | 2.59398196184851 | 1.01098784154096 |
| 2011 | 3.53896235462564 | 2.53940810179244 | 0.999554252833196 |
| 2012 | 3.30663839049028 | 2.58113123308313 | 0.725507157407149 |
| 2013 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 0.9 |
Infant Mortality by cause
Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities accounted for 45.3% of infant deaths in 2013. Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period accounted for a further 42.9%, sudden infant death syndrome accounted for 8.2%. Diseases of the nervous system and sense organs accounted for 1.2%, and all other causes at 2.4% accounted for the remainder. See table 4.8.
For infant deaths occurring in the first day of life, the causes of death were split between certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (53.1%) and congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (46.9%). See table 4.8.
Monaghan had the highest rate for infant mortality in 2013 with a rate of 8.2 per 1,000 births. The lowest rate occurred in Leitrim with no recorded occurrences in 2013. See table 4.3.
Stillbirths
The number of stillbirths in 2013 was 190, an increase of 2 on the 2012 total of 188. The corresponding rate increase was from 2.6 in 2012 to 2.7 in 2013.
| Year | Perinatal | Stillbirth |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 8.55 | 5.58 |
| 2004 | 7.85 | 5.15 |
| 2005 | 6.25 | 4.12 |
| 2006 | 5.97 | 3.84 |
| 2007 | 6.18 | 4.42 |
| 2008 | 6.04 | 3.9 |
| 2009 | 5.71 | 3.88 |
| 2010 | 5.69 | 3.62 |
| 2011 | 4.82 | 2.84 |
| 2012 | 4.63 | 2.62 |
| 2013 | 4.98 | 2.75 |
For stillbirths, the highest rate per 1,000 live births was in Limerick City (8.2). There were no registered stillbirths in 2013 for Kilkenny, Longford, Leitrim, Sligo and Monaghan. See table 4.3.
In 2013, stillbirths classified as being due to certain conditions originating in the perinatal period accounted for 84.7% of the stillbirths and 14.7% were due to congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities. The remainder was due to neoplasms of uncertain or unknown behaviour. See table 4.12a.
While statistics of infant mortality are obtained in the course of the usual procedure for registration of deaths, which has been in operation since 1863, particulars of late foetal mortality have been obtained through a scheme of notification to the Directors of Community Care. The scheme of notifying late foetal deaths was introduced in 1957, but comparisons between different areas of the country showed marked differences in the coverage of the scheme in the early years. Consequently, the number of late foetal deaths in the early years of the scheme is believed to be understated.
In 1995 stillbirths were registered in Ireland for the first time under the Stillbirths Registration Act, 1994. The definition of a stillbirth under the Act is broader than the definition used for late foetal deaths in previous Vital Statistics Reports. Care should be taken in comparing statistics on stillbirths and late foetal deaths in consideration of the changes between the notification and registration systems.
The National Perinatal Reporting System (NPRS) (http://www.hpo.ie/latest_hipe_nprs_reports/NPRS_2013/Perinatal_Statistics_Report_2013.pdf) also produces statistics on stillbirths, which can be compared to the numbers in these reports. The NPRS figures are derived from birth notification forms, rather than from stillbirths registered. In recent years, the numbers of stillbirths according to NPRS reports have been higher than the numbers published in these reports. This suggests that there is some non-registration of stillbirths and that caution should be taken in interpreting the statistics on stillbirths in these reports.
Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium
There were 3 maternal deaths in 2013, giving a rate of 4.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 live and stillbirths. See table 4.19.
| Year | Maternal death rate |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 251.650485436893 |
| 1944 | 269.01031715705 |
| 1945 | 263.232676747282 |
| 1946 | 239.981154854097 |
| 1947 | 214.561164429238 |
| 1948 | 188.078264826331 |
| 1949 | 201.081788848534 |
| 1950 | 155.746086682923 |
| 1951 | 163.809281465695 |
| 1952 | 142.346551964228 |
| 1953 | 132.676875859203 |
| 1954 | 110.339975053571 |
| 1955 | 113.595793710039 |
| 1956 | 85.6108001317089 |
| 1957 | 132.262173018517 |
| 1958 | 102.503780877164 |
| 1959 | 64.7969694955805 |
| 1960 | 57.6273977113691 |
| 1961 | 45.1316339323025 |
| 1962 | 43.7020491405264 |
| 1963 | 34.7848085254403 |
| 1964 | 46.8223248845049 |
| 1965 | 28.3353010625738 |
| 1966 | 28.9319295989713 |
| 1967 | 22.8358914968927 |
| 1968 | 36.0632089699036 |
| 1969 | 31.7904374364191 |
| 1970 | 31.1119407628648 |
| 1971 | 25.1661707450667 |
| 1972 | 40.8598070833394 |
| 1973 | 11.6426294878698 |
| 1974 | 21.7684705472594 |
| 1975 | 7.44291285837625 |
| 1976 | 16.3744082884278 |
| 1977 | 11.6123787957963 |
| 1978 | 17.0699440959331 |
| 1979 | 9.64998138932161 |
| 1980 | 6.75091812486498 |
| 1981 | 4.15754316915657 |
| 1982 | 5.64628827124769 |
| 1983 | 11.9194838863477 |
| 1984 | 6.24395117230183 |
| 1985 | 6.41148938898506 |
| 1986 | 4.86854917234664 |
| 1987 | 3.42272346105796 |
| 1988 | 1.77304964539007 |
| 1989 | 3.84482294590334 |
| 1990 | 3.77045471683885 |
| 1991 | 5.69065594294169 |
| 1992 | 3.91473702754017 |
| 1993 | 2.02823300340743 |
| 1994 | 2.07232411149104 |
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 5.92241634586911 |
| 1997 | 5.68450971103742 |
| 1998 | 3.70583112527562 |
| 1999 | 1.85446183517543 |
| 2000 | 1.82518388727664 |
| 2001 | 5.18546686486673 |
| 2002 | 8.26405302216419 |
| 2003 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1.61363196282192 |
| 2005 | 1.62940754741576 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2.80155205984115 |
| 2008 | 3.99079456719833 |
| 2009 | 3.97066998438203 |
| 2010 | 1.33024715992231 |
| 2011 | 2.70149798063026 |
| 2012 | 2.79041214387365 |
| 2013 | 4.35072657133741 |
Stillbirths, Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality
The terms used in relation to stillbirths and infant mortality are defined as follows:
Stillbirth: Stillbirth weighing 500 grams or more or at gestational age of 24 weeks or more. this definition applies to stillbirth figures from 1995 onwards.
Late foetal death: Foetal death at or over 28 weeks gestation. this definition was applied up to 1994 inclusive.
Early neonatal death: Death at ages under 1 week live born infant.
Perinatal deaths: Stillbirths or late foetal deaths p;us early neonatal deaths.
Late neonatal deaths: Death between the ages of 1 week and 4 weeks of live born infant.
Neonatal death: Death at ages under 4 weeks of live born infant.
Post neonatal death: Death between the ages of 4 weeks and 1 year of live born infant.
Infant death: Death at ages under 1 year of live born infant.
Maternal death: a maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and the site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.
Stillbirth rate: Stillbirths divided by total live births plus stillbirths, multiplied by 1,000.
Late foetal mortality rate: Late foetal deaths divided by total live births plus late foetal deaths, multiplied by 1,000.
Early neonatal mortality rate: Early neonatal deaths divided by total live births, multiplied by 1,000.
Perinatal mortality rate: Perinatal deaths divided by total live births plus stillbirths, multiplied by 1,000.
Late neonatal mortality rate: Late neonatal deaths divided by total live births, multiplied by 1,000.
Neonatal mortality rate: Neonatal deaths divided by total live births, multiplied by 1,000.
Post neonatal mortality rate: Post neonatal deaths divided by total live births, multiplied by 1,000.
Infant mortality rate: Infant deaths divided by total live births, multiplied by 1,000.
Maternal death rate: Maternal deaths divided by total live and stillbirths multiplied by 100,000.
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