Global Infant Mortality Rate came down to 37: UNICEF report

October 3, 2013

As per United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) report on the global Infant Mortality rate (IMR) declined from 61 deaths in 1990 to 37 deaths in 2011. Annual infant deaths decreased from 8.4 million in 1990 to 5 million in 2011.
Although India has more IMR than the global average, it has shown a minor decline in IMR in 2012 compared to 2011. It decreased from 44 deaths for every 1000 live births in 2011 to 42 deaths for every 1000 live in 2012. Some findings of the report:

In India, Kerala has IMR of 12 which is least compared to other states.
The worst is Assam with IMR 55.
West Bengal also performed badly with IMR 32.
Some improvement was seen in case of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha whose IMR declined from 57 in 2011 to 53 in 2012 in both states.
Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu registered a one-point decrease in IMR.
Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir improved their IMR by 2 points.
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi and Karnataka reduced their IMR by 3 points.

What are the main causes for high IMR in India?

Low awareness about health and reproductive rights, maternal anemia and malnutrition are the main causes for high infant mortality rate in India. Infant Mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of children less than one year of age per 1000 live births.

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