Return to
Vital
Events-
Related
Statistics

TABLE 4:

FIGURE 6.1:

Highlights:
Tab 4/Fig 6.1

TABLE 4
TRENDS OF INFANT MORTALITY
British Columbia and Canada, 1965 - 2002

FIGURE 6.1
TRENDS OF INFANT MORTALITY
British Columbia and Canada, 1965 - 2002

• There were 177 infant deaths (death to children less than one year of age) in BC in 2002. This is up 15 deaths from 162 in 2001. The rate rose from 4.0 per 1,000 live births in 2001 to 4.4 per 1,000 live births in 2002. The year over year increase in the rate is not statistically significant at the 95% level.

• The rate of infant deaths in the province has been on a statistically significant downward trend.

• Infant mortality rates in B.C. have fallen dramatically to almost one fifth of the rates seen in 1965. Decreases in early neonatal mortality (age at death less than seven days) and neonatal mortality (age at death less than 28 days) have been major contributors to the overall decline in infant mortality rates over this time period. In Canada infant mortality rates have also fallen to approximately one fifth of the rates seen in 1965.

• Since 1991, the BC infant mortality rate has been consistently below the Canadian rate.