Table 2

Infant mortality rates attributable to congenital anomalies, by five year period, in 36 countries, 1950–1994 (source: World Health Organisation). Rates per 10 000

Country 1950–54 IMR2-150 (%)2-151 1955–59 IMR (%) 1960–64 IMR (%) 1965–69 IMR (%) 1970–74 IMR (%) 1975–79 IMR (%) 1980–84 IMR (%) 1985–89 IMR (%) 1990–94 IMR (%)
North America
Canada52.1  (14)48.2  (16)45.0  (17)41.5  (19)36.6  (22)30.9  (25)27.7  (30)23.5  (31)19.6  (31)
United States39.0 (14)37.3 (14)35.8 (14)33.2 (15)29.0 (16)25.9 (18)24.4 (21)21.3 (21)18.7 (21)
Central-South America
Argentina30.2 (6)34.1 (6)35.4 (9)34.6 (11)36.0 (14)36.8 (15)
Chile20.3 (2)20.7 (2)29.7 (3)35.2 (5)40.2 (9)37.9 (15)37.3 (20)37.3 (25)
Cuba35.9 (9)39.5 (9)39.0 (12)39.8 (17)36.0 (21)31.1 (24)26.0 (24)
Mexico18.2 (2)17.1 (2)15.7 (2)15.1 (3)20.7 (4)24.9 (6)21.9 (9)24.9 (12)
Uruguay27.3 (6)26.8 (6)31.3 (6)32.8 (8)37.3 (8)40.4 (13)37.5 (15)36.3 (18)
Venezuela15.2 (2)17.9 (4)20.2 (4)25.0 (5)24.9 (7)24.6 (8)26.2 (11)
Western Europe
Ireland59.2 (14)66.6 (19)71.2 (25)60.1 (26)50.4 (28)48.0 (32)34.4 (33)27.2 (32)29.1 (39)
United Kingdom45.8 (16)47.5 (20)45.4 (21)39.6 (21)39.4 (22)35.8 (25)29.4 (27)20.6 (23)14.4 (21)
Norway32.9 (14)33.9 (17)33.8 (19)29.5 (20)27.1 (23)28.6 (30)25.1 (31)23.3 (28)17.4 (29)
Sweden35.3 (18)33.9 (20)32.9 (21)30.6 (24)30.4 (29)28.5 (36)24.9 (36)21.6 (36)19.2 (35)
Finland38.2 (12)44.6 (17)38.1 (20)30.9 (20)30.3 (26)26.7 (31)26.1 (40)22.4 (37)18.2 (36)
Denmark45.2 (16)43.1 (18)42.8 (21)35.9 (22)33.8 (27)28.7 (31)25.5 (32)25.2 (32)21.9 (34)
West Germany49.3 (11)49.6 (13)46.5 (16)40.3 (17)41.4 (18)36.0 (22)28.9 (26)21.4 (26)19.0 (27)
Netherlands49.5 (21)46.3 (26)41.8 (27)36.2 (26)31.9 (27)29.1 (30)27.2 (32)24.8 (34)23.0 (36)
Belgium41.6 (10)50.0 (14)47.2 (17)47.4 (21)42.3 (22)35.1 (25)29.6 (27)24.4 (26)21.4 (26)
France32.7 (8)36.7 (13)36.5 (17)33.9 (20)28.3 (21)24.0 (21)20.7 (22)16.4 (21)13.7 (20)
Austria44.5 (10)44.6 (14)43.9 (16)39.2 (16)38.5 (23)34.2 (27)26.0 (27)21.6 (31)
Switzerland45.2 (16)42.4 (18)41.8 (20)36.5 (22)34.8 (26)31.6 (33)28.5 (36)24.0 (34)21.4 (35)
Italy40.1 (7)37.4 (8)36.0 (9)34.7 (10)34.8 (13)32.5 (18)29.9 (23)23.7 (25)20.5 (25)
Greece32.8 (8)39.9 (12)43.0 (16)45.6 (22)46.5 (30)36.7 (31)41.4 (47)
Portugal22.4 (3)24.4 (3)26.9 (4)32.8 (7)38.7 (12)36.5 (18)31.7 (22)26.5 (28)
Spain17.6 (3)16.0 (4)18.2 (5)20.2 (8)24.6 (16)37.3 (23)30.7 (27)24.4 (28)22.7 (32)
Israel48.4 (26)33.1 (24)30.6 (28)24.6 (28)
Eastern Europe
Former Yugoslavia16.1 (2)20.5 (3)24.4 (5)24.7 (7)28.3 (9)27.6 (11)27.6 (14)
Bulgaria25.1 (8)24.9 (8)29.6 (11)30.9 (14)35.4 (20)36.5 (25)43.1 (27)
Former Czechoslovakia41.5 (10)42.6 (14)43.3 (19)44.2 (19)39.8 (19)39.7 (20)41.4 (25)33.9 (27)29.1 (26)
East Germany30.4 (19)30.6 (22)24.1 (21)21.3 (25)19.6 (27)
Hungary63.7 (11)63.9 (14)62.9 (17)55.4 (16)53.1 (20)45.4 (22)38.8 (22)31.3 (24)
Poland45.8 (6)46.2 (9)45.5 (12)48.7 (18)49.3 (21)48.7 (24)46.1 (27)41.0 (28)
Romania35.5 (5)33.2 (5)33.6 (7)33.5 (8)37.3 (12)42.9 (16)50.4 (19)38.9 (16)
Russian Federation33.1 (16)37.9 (20)39.5 (21)
South Pacific and Japan
Japan21.8 (4)19.7 (5)19.8 (8)20.8 (13)21.4 (18)21.3 (24)18.6 (28)16.7 (33)15.9 (36)
New Zealand39.9 (15)38.6 (16)37.8 (18)36.4 (20)34.5 (21)33.9 (24)29.0 (24)26.0 (24)21.4 (27)
Australia37.9 (16)39.0 (18)37.9 (19)33.1 (18)34.6 (20)33.0 (26)29.1 (29)23.6 (27)18.3 (27)
Total
attributable to congenital anomalies36.1 (9)35.1 (9)33.0 (9)30.8 (9)29.4 (10)29.6 (11)28.4 (17)26.4 (18)24.0 (20)
attributable to any cause398.5401.3379.4331.0285.6265.1166.5148.1121.1
  • 2-150 IMR = infant mortality rate, deaths of infants under 1 year of age per 10 000 live births.

  • 2-151 % = per cent of total infant mortality (all causes).