Statistical Services - BC Vital Statistics Agency

[Click here to download a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet of the above table]

There were 177 infant deaths (under one year of age) in 2002, for an infant mortality rate of 4.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
In 2002, the highest infant mortality rate by mother's age shown in this table was 10.61 deaths per 1,000 live births for mothers aged <20 years of age and the lowest rate was 3.91 for mothers aged 35-39.
Low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams) and very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams) are risk factors for infant mortality. Almost 6 out of 10 (59.9%) of the infants who died in 2002 had low birth weight (106 infant deaths), and almost half (48.0%) had very low birth weight (85).
For births with very low birth weight (less than 1,500 grams), the infant mortality rate was 230.35 per 1,000 live births, almost one in four. The mortality rate decreased significantly with increased birth weight; there were 12.12 infant deaths per 1,000 live births with birth weight between 1,500 and 2,499 grams, and only 1.88 infant deaths for every 1,000 live births with normal birth weight (2,500 grams or more).

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