Prague, April 28 (CTK) – The Czech Republic has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in Europe, with two to three deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births in the past several years, according to the latest report by the Institute of Health Information and Statistics (UZIS).
In 2016, 2.81 children aged under 12 months died per 1000 live births on average, compared with 6.05 deaths of infants in 1996.
The infant mortality rate was permanently decreasing in the country from the 1980s, after a stagnation of nearly 20 years, the report says. It first dropped under three dead infants per 1000 live births (2.83) in 2008 and kept slightly falling until 2014 (2.39). In 2015 and 2016 it slightly increased, however.
Czechia has been among the European states with low infant mortality rates for a long time, along with Slovenia, Scandinavian countries. In 2016, Czechia was at the same level as Italy and Portugal.
In 2016, 113,000 children were born in the country with approximately 10.5 million inhabitants, which was a higher number than in the previous five years. There were 420 stillbirths and 317 babies died before they reached one year in 2016. Baby boys died more often than baby girls, which was registered in the previous years, too.
Mortality of prematurely born babies with birthweight under 750 grammes has also been decreasing.
On the other hand, the increasing age of mother at the time of birth of their first offspring is a negative trend. The number of in vitro fertilisations is going up.
Number of births and deaths of infants in the Czech republic from 1970:
Year Number of births Stillborn Infant mortality rate
2016 113,083 420 2.81
2015 111,162 398 2.46
2014 110,252 392 2.39
2013 107,117 366 2.48
2012 108,955 379 2.62
2008 119,842 272 2.83
2005 102,498 287 3.4
2000 91,169 259 4,1
1995 96,397 300 7,7
1990 131,094 530 10,8
1980 154,665 864 16,85
1970 148,893 1028 20.20
Source: Institute of Health Information and Statistics (UZIS)
