In 2015, 400 deaths of children less than 1 year of age were recorded. The infant mortality rate continues to decrease at national level and stands at 3.3 per mille. This represents a decrease of almost 40 % between 1998 and 2015. At regional level, the recent developments are mixed, with a slight increase in Flanders and a significant decrease in Wallonia and in the Brussels-Capital Region, which returns to a level comparable to that of 2013.
In the longer term, the three regions have recorded a significant decrease of deaths of children less than 1 year of age: from -25 % in Flanders to -41 % in Brussels and -46 % in Wallonia.
After having increased for several years due to improved recording, the number of stillbirths is decreasing again since 2010 and stood at 536 in 2015, i.e. a decrease of 10 % compared to 2014.
In the Brussels-Capital Region, the situation is mixed with the lowest infant mortality rate (2.5 per mille) but the highest stillbirth rate (5.9 per mille).
The infant mortality rate is the ratio between the number of deaths of children less than one year of age during the year and the live births of that same year (in per mille).
The stillbirth rate is the ratio between the number of stillbirths during the year and the total of births (including stillbirths) of that same year (in per mille).