What does IMR tell us about a country?
Sarah Martinez
Updated on January 31, 2026
Infant mortality rate, measure of human infant deaths in a group younger than one year of age. It is an important indicator of the overall physical health of a community.
What does a IMR indicate?
Infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths under one year of age occurring among the live births in a given geographical area during a given year per 1,000 live births occurring among the population of the given geographical area during the same year.
Why does infant mortality rate decrease as a country develops?
Lack of prenatal care, skilled care during child birth, postnatal care, and breast feeding and immunization are regarded as the most important causes of infant and child morbidity and mortality in underdeveloped countries [1].
Why is IMR a good indicator?
IMR remains an important indicator of health for whole populations, reflecting the intuition that structural factors affecting the health of entire populations have an impact on the mortality rate of infants.
What country has the highest rate of SIDS?
More recently, the highest SIDS rates (0.5 in 1000 live births) were in New Zealand and the United States. The lowest rates ( 0.2 in 1000) were in Japan and the Netherlands.
What is the function of IMR?
The IMR undertakes research to advance scientific knowledge and understanding as well as to provide evidences for informed decision making and formulation of effective preventive and control programs and activities.
What can reduce infant mortality in developing countries?
Vitamin A supplementation, breast feeding, and prenatal diagnosis of congenital malformations are low-cost strategies that can significantly affect infant well-being and reduce child mortality in many developing countries.
Which country has highest SIDS rate?
What is the IMR of India?
The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births….India: Infant mortality rate from 2009 to 2019 (in deaths per 1,000 live births)
| Characteristic | Deaths per 1,000 live births |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 28.3 |
| 2018 | 29.7 |
| 2017 | 31.4 |
| 2016 | 33.1 |
Why is SIDS so high in USA?
The two main reasons for the higher U.S. mortality were “congenital malformations, which patients cannot really do much about other than ensuring adequate screening during pregnancy, and high risk of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy, which should largely be preventable through appropriate sleeping arrangements,” …
