Bulgaria had the third highest infant mortality rate in the European Union in 2019, according to figures published on June 4 by the EU statistical office Eurostat.
Infant mortality is defined as the ratio between the number of deaths in children in one year and the number of live births in the following year. the value is expressed per 1000 live births.
In 2019, the highest infant mortality rates in the EU were recorded in Malta (6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births), Romania (5.8) and Bulgaria (5.6).
In contrast, the lowest proportion was recorded in Estonia (1.6 deaths), followed by Slovenia, Finland and Sweden (all 2.1 deaths per 1,000 live births).
During the EUU 2019, approximately 14,100 children died before reaching one year of age. This corresponds to a mortality rate of approximately 3.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
In the last decade, infant mortality in the EU fell from 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2009 to 3.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2019. By comparison, Bulgaria’s infant mortality in 2009 was 9.0.
Compared to 1961, infant mortality in countries that are currently members of the EU dropped dramatically: from 38.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, Eurostat said.
Compared to 1961, infant mortality decreased in all EU countries, with the largest decreases recorded in Portugal (from 88.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1961 to 2.8 in 2019), Romania (from 71.4 in 1961 to 5.8 in 2019 ) and Croatia (from 62.9 1961 to 4.0 in 2019). In 1961, Bulgaria’s infant mortality rate was 37.8, according to Eurostat.
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