Feto-infant mortality concerned 888 births in 2022
In 2022, 888 babies died in utero or in their first year of life. In 2000, this figure was still 1,048 babies. So this is a 15% decrease. This is what emerged from the latest figures of Statbel on feto-infant mortality, compiled from, among others, reports of deaths of children under one year of age and stillbirths.
While the infant mortality rate has fallen by more than 20% in 10 years, the stillbirth rate shows a more fluctuating trend and is slightly higher in 2022 than in 2012. Some of these upwards fluctuations could be linked to better case counting and, therefore, improved statistical quality.
Infant mortality
In 2022, Belgium recorded 333 deaths of children in their first year of life. In absolute terms, this is the lowest figure observed since statistical records began. Yet the infant mortality rate remains unchanged from 2021, with 2.9 deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. At regional level, the infant mortality rate is slightly lower in the Brussels-Capital Region (2.7‰) and in Flanders (2.8‰) than in Wallonia (3.2‰).
Stillbirths
In 2022, 555 children were stillborn. The stillbirth rate, i.e. the number of stillbirths per 1,000 births (all vitality statuses combined: children born alive or dead), for the year 2022 is 4.8‰. There are just under 5 foetal deaths for every 1,000 births. The stillbirth rate is slightly higher in the Brussels-Capital Region (6.5‰) than in the other two regions (5.5‰ in Wallonia and 4.1‰ in Flanders).[1]
These deaths are more common among boys and occur at an early age
Infant mortality consistently affects more male children. The proportion of boys involved in 2022 was 56.4%. This is no different from the figures seen in recent years, even though this proportion already exceeded 60% in 2016. The majority of stillbirths are male, but to a lesser extent (50.8% in 2022), as in most other years.
The average lifespan of a child who dies before his or her first birthday is 51.3 days. In more than one in five cases, death occurs within the first few hours of life. In two-thirds of cases (68.5%), death occurred during the first four weeks of life.
These deceased children and foetuses frequently have a birth defect: this is the case for 43.1% of stillbirths and 33.6% of children under one year of age in 2022.
At what stage of pregnancy do foetuses die?
Nearly a quarter of foetal deaths taken into account in this statistic - 21.6% - occur at the end of pregnancy: these are foetuses that would not have been premature if they had been born alive.
If these figures are broken down by trimester of pregnancy, more than 60% of stillbirths occurred during the third trimester of pregnancy (from 29 weeks of gestation).
[1] Are considered stillborn babies the children dead at birth whose birth weight was equal or above 500 grams or, if the birth weight is unknown, with a gestational age of at least 22 weeks. Stillborn babies whose birth weight and gestational age are unknown are also taken into account.
| Age of death | BELGIUM | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Boys | Girls | Total | |
| Total | 188 | 145 | 333 |
| Less than 1 day | 42 | 27 | 69 |
| 1 day | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 2 days | 18 | 4 | 22 |
| 3 days | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| 4 days | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 days | 8 | 6 | 14 |
| 6 days | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 7 to 27 days | 38 | 31 | 69 |
| 28 to 364 days | 55 | 50 | 105 |
| Average age (in days) | 51,6 | 50,9 | 51,3 |
| Source: Statbel (Directorate-General Statistics- Statistics Belgium) | |||
Purpose and brief description
The feto-infant mortality statistics are compiled on the basis of the declaration form of the death of a child under one year of age or of a stillborn child. Since 2010, the National Register has also been used to more accurately determine the relevant official life events and to check the main information. These statistics break down deaths into those before the age of one year old and infants who were stillborn, per gender, by administrative units of the country, by the main characteristics of the mother (age, civil status, state of union, level of education, professional status, nationality) and by certain characteristics of the delivery and of the newborns (location, way of giving birth, twin birth, weight, duration of the pregnancy, congenital defect). They also produce various indicators of feto-infant mortality and a breakdown of feto-infant deaths according to the age of death.
Data collection method
The feto-infant mortality statistics are compiled on the basis of two sources: the National Register of Natural Persons (NRPP) and the statistical declaration forms for a child under one year old or stillborn (Model IIID). These forms are an important source on infant mortality and provide a lot of information, especially health data. They also provide information about the circumstances of birth and about the parents of the deceased children. They are the only source of information on stillbirths or late fetal deaths. The information provided by the NR is less extensive, concerns only infant mortality, but is available more quickly; it contains the death of all children residing in Belgium (and therefore registered in the NR), regardless of whether the death took place in Belgium or abroad. Until 2009, these two sources were consolidated in relation to each other, but in the sense that the declaration forms served as a reference, with the NR being used mainly to provide the data that were missing or not requested on the declaration forms. Therefore, only the deaths (that took place in Belgium and were therefore) reported to the Belgian Registry Office were taken into account when compiling the infant mortality statistics, i.e. those for which the stated place of residence was a Belgian municipality. Since 2010, the statistics have been produced with the NR as reference. Henceforth, only the death of a child included in the NR will be taken into account. By using the NR, the death of a child abroad can be included in the statistics. It also makes it possible to acknowledge the death of children registered in the waiting register for refugees and asylum seekers.
Population
All feto-infant deaths
Frequency
Annually.
Release calendar
Results available 1 year after the reference period
Definitions
Deceased infant: death before the first birthday of a live-born child.
Stillborn child: child who, at the time of birth, does not show any sign of life (such as breathing, heartbeat, pulsating of the umbilical cord, effective contraction of a muscle) and weighs at least 500 grams or, if the weight is unknown, had a gestational age of at least 22 weeks. Below this limit, we are talking about a premature fetal death that is not officially declared.
Twin birth: Total number of births, including stillbirths, due to pregnancy
Place of the child: Place of the child in the totality of living births to the mother
Duration of the pregnancy: Duration of the pregnancy (in weeks) at the time of birth
Way of giving birth: Type of assistance during birth
Congenital defects: Presence of one or more congenital defects
Weight: Weight (in grams) of the child at birth
Apgar after 1 minute: Apgar score after 1 minute
Apgar after 5 minutes: Apgar score after 5 minutes.
Region: the child’s region of legal residence. In the case of a stillbirth: the mother’s region of habitual residence at the time of birth.