More babies are dying before their first birthday, with those in deprived areas, the North of England and Black and Asian ethnic groups the worst affected, according to new analysis released today.
National figures on infant deaths in 2022, compiled by child health experts reveal that after a brief hiatus, infant mortality is rising once again, exposing stark inequalities across society.
Analysis by Health Equity North (HEN) found the most deprived parts of the country, the North of England and Black and Asian ethnic groups experienced an increase in infant mortality rates (IMR).
The increase has been linked to risk factors such as prematurity, congenital anomalies, low birthweight, ethnicity, maternal age, deprivation, poverty and inequality.
The findings have prompted calls from leading child health academics for a serious investigation into the underlying drivers of higher IMR among the most deprived populations and for the new government to commit to reducing health inequalities as an urgent priority.
The latest data released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals that 2,240 infants died before their first birthday in 2022 in England, a rise from 2,209 in 2021, corresponding to 3.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
The figures suggest that the increases from 2021 to 2022 is largely driven by regions in the North of England.
The researchers behind the new analysis say action is needed to address the causes of infant mortality with better support during pregnancy, appropriately resourced maternity and early years services and fiscal measures to alleviate poverty.
They have also warned that there may be further rises in IMR due to the increase in prevalence of vaccine preventable diseases affecting infants and pregnant mothers, notably measles and pertussis (whooping cough).
There have been 4,793 cases of pertussis in England and eight deaths in infants from January to April 2024, compared to 858 cases in the whole of 2023, with the last reported infant death in 2019. In addition, pertussis vaccine uptake in pregnant women has declined – down from 74% in 2017 to 59% in 2023.
Professor David Taylor-Robinson, Academic Co-Director at Health Equity North, and Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool, said: “An increase in infant mortality rates is uncommon in affluent nations. As a sensitive measure of how we are doing as a society, rising infant mortality serves as an early indicator of policy going in the wrong direction.
“For many years infant mortality was declining thanks to policies that set out to address health inequalities in the early 2000s. However, that success has slowed in recent years with rates beginning to rise again, particularly in more deprived communities.
“Our analysis builds on previous Child of the North research which exposed the regional differences in IMR. These latest figures show that the increase in infant mortality rates is not evenly distributed across regions and socioeconomic demography, with the North of England an outlier, compared to the rest of the country and to London. This is against a backdrop of cuts to local government, a struggling NHS, and increasing numbers of families living in poverty.
“Without coherent action to address socioeconomic inequalities in health, we are unlikely to see improvements in the IMR in the years ahead. We need to see rapid action from the new government to address the worrying increase in infant mortality in areas of deprivation, the North of England and in Black and Asian ethnic groups.”
