Infant mortality in the EU: An unexpectedly bleak picture

The infant mortality rate has increased in at least eight EU countries in 2024, according to the latest figures from the countries’ national statistics offices.

The infant mortality rate refers to the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births.

In 2024, both France and Romania reported infant mortality rates surpassing the EU average of 3.3 deaths per 1,000 live births from 2023.  

Romania experienced a significant rise in its rate, jumping from 2.1 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 6.4 in 2024.  

This is followed by France, which saw the rate double from 2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 4.1 deaths per 1,000 live births.   

This means that one child out of 250 dies before the age of one in France, according to the French Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE).   

Since 2015, France’s infant mortality rate has consistently been higher than the EU average.  

Boys are 1.2 times more likely than girls to die before the age of one and twins or triplets are five times more at risk than any other children.

Between 2023 and 2024, Portugal experienced a 20% increase in infant mortality rates, a trend that deviates from the country’s overall mortality rate.  

The causes behind this trend are not clear, but several factors may contribute, including the increasing age of mothers, an increase in multiple pregnancies and geographic inequality of access to maternal health care, according to health experts.

On the other hand, Latvia and Sweden have the lowest infant mortality rate in the EU.

Currently, Lithuania, Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark and Slovenia only have estimated numbers.

How does the EU health picture look?

2024 was a year marked by health staff shortages and the closure of some maternity hospitals in countries like Portugal, Germany and France. 

During the summer of 2024, 10 Portuguese maternity wards were closed or with restrictions.

This followed the government’s presentation of a Health Emergency and Transformation Plan to be implemented in three months to guarantee general access to healthcare.

In the past decade in France, 15% of small maternity units have closed.

Over the past two decades, the number of doctors and nurses per capita has increased substantially in most EU countries.

However, the workforce is ageing and interest in health careers among young people is declining due to low salaries and poor working conditions.