Infant mortality rate

Definition

The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Analogy

Imagine you're playing a video game where you need to protect baby characters. The infant mortality rate is like counting how many baby characters didn't survive out of every thousand born. A lower infant mortality rate means you did an excellent job protecting them!

Related terms

Under-five mortality rate: The under-five mortality rate measures the probability of dying before reaching five years old per 1,000 live births.

Maternal mortality ratio: The maternal mortality ratio represents the number of maternal deaths due to pregnancy or childbirth complications per 100,000 live births.

Neonatal mortality rate: The neonatal mortality rate focuses specifically on deaths that occur within the first 28 days after birth per 1,000 live births.