Infant mortality
During the year 2015 there were 225 deaths of infants under one year, compared to 224 in 2014. The infant mortality rate was 3.4 per 1,000 live births in 2015, an increase of 0.1 on the 2014 rate of 3.3. See tables 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3.
Infant mortality rates in the EU-28
Ireland had an infant mortality rate of 3.4 per 1,000 live births. Romania had the highest rate at 7.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Slovenia had the lowest rate, 1.6 per 1,000 live births. See fig. 4.1.
| Country | Infant mortality rate |
|---|---|
| Romania | 7.6 |
| Bulgaria | 6.6 |
| Malta | 5.8 |
| Slovakia | 5.1 |
| Hungary | 4.2 |
| Lithuania | 4.2 |
| Croatia | 4.1 |
| Latvia | 4.1 |
| Poland | 4 |
| Greece | 4 |
| United Kingdom | 3.9 |
| Denmark | 3.7 |
| France | 3.7 |
| Ireland | 3.4 |
| Netherlands | 3.3 |
| Belgium | 3.3 |
| Germany | 3.3 |
| Austria | 3.1 |
| Portugal | 2.9 |
| Italy | 2.9 |
| Luxembourg | 2.8 |
| Spain | 2.7 |
| Cyprus | 2.7 |
| Estonia | 2.5 |
| Czech Republic | 2.5 |
| Sweden | 2.5 |
| Finland | 1.7 |
| Slovenia | 1.6 |
Infant Mortality by detailed age
Over a third (38.2%) of all infant deaths occurred within the first day of birth and 63.1% occurred within the first week. See table 4.5.
There were 174 neonatal deaths (deaths of infants under 4 weeks) in 2015, an increase of 16 on the 2014 figure. The neonatal mortality rate of 2.7 per 1,000 live births was 0.4 more than the 2014 figure of 2.3. See tables 4.2, 4.3 and 4.8 and fig. 4.2.
| Year | Infant | Neonatal | Post neonatal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2014 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1 |
| 2015 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 0.8 |
Infant Mortality by cause
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period accounted for 45.8% of infant deaths in 2015. Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities accounted for a further 44.4%, sudden infant death syndrome accounted for 6.2% and all other causes accounted for 3.6%. 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 (59.3%), congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities (39.5%) and all other causes (1.2%). See table 4.8.
Limerick City had the highest rate for infant mortality in 2015 with a rate of 7.3 per 1,000 births. There were no infant mortalities in Waterford County in 2015. See table 4.3.
Stillbirths
The number of stillbirths in 2015 was 194, an increase of 30 on the 2014 total of 164. The corresponding rate increase was from 2.4 in 2014 to 3.0 in 2015. See fig. 4.3.
| Year | Perinatal | Stillbirth |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2014 | 4.21 | 2.43 |
| 2015 | 5.11 | 2.95 |
For stillbirths, the highest rate per 1,000 live and stillbirths was in Waterford County (8.9). There were no registered stillbirths in 2015 for Cork City, Limerick City, South Tipperary and Waterford City. See table 4.3.
In 2015, stillbirths classified as being due to certain conditions originating in the perinatal period accounted for 77.3% of all registered stillbirths, 22.2% were due to congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities and the remaining 0.5% were 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_2015/Perinatal_Statistics_Report_2015.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, whereas the figures contained in this report are derived 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 considerable non-registration of stillbirths and that caution should be taken in interpreting the statistics on stillbirths in these reports.
Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium
There was 1 maternal death in 2015, giving a rate of 1.5 maternal deaths per 100,000 live and stillbirths. See table 4.19.
| Year | Maternal death rate |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2014 | 1.48 |
| 2015 | 1.52241759914745 |
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 plus 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.
