Early Childhood Mortality Rate

Early Childhood Mortality Rate: definition, causes and ways to reduce

The Early Childhood Mortality Rate (ECMR) is one of the main indicators of population health. It reflects the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births per year. This indicator is also known as the neonatal mortality rate or newborn mortality rate.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2020, the worldwide MRDS was 27.6 per 1,000 live births. At the same time, the difference between developed and developing countries in this indicator remains quite high. In developing countries the rate is 33.6 per 1000 live births, while in developed countries the rate is 3.6 per 1000 live births.

Causes of high CRDS may vary, including maternal malnutrition, lack of access to quality health care, infections and other diseases, and undesirable socioeconomic conditions. For example, low maternal income and education may be a risk factor for high CRDS.

Reducing CRDS is one of the main health goals of many countries. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to implement measures aimed at reducing risks to the health of mothers and children. Such measures include:

  1. Providing access to quality health care. This may include training mothers in basic infant care, providing health services and preventive measures.

  2. Prevention of infectious diseases. This may include vaccinations for mothers and children, as well as good hygiene practices when caring for the infant.

  3. Improving the quality of nutrition of mothers and children. This may include nutrition education, providing nutrition to the poor and vulnerable, and providing nutrition for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

  4. Improvement of socio-economic conditions. This may include increasing maternal income and education, improving living conditions, creating jobs, etc.

Overall, reducing CPDS is an important goal to ensure the health and well-being of children. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to take comprehensive measures aimed at improving the quality of life of mothers and children, ensuring access to quality medical care, preventing infectious diseases and improving socio-economic conditions. However, it must be borne in mind that reducing CRDS is a long-term process that requires a systematic approach and efforts not only from governments and medical institutions, but also from the public as a whole.



The early infant death rate is an indicator that reflects the frequency of infant deaths in the first year of life. It is calculated as the ratio of the number of deaths of infants under one year of age to the total number of births during the same period.

The early childhood mortality rate is an important indicator of public health and can be used to assess the effectiveness of maternal and child health programs, as well as to determine priority areas of government policy in this area.

In Russia, the early infant mortality rate is about 7.5 per 1000 live births. This means that out of 10,000 newborns, about 750 babies die in their first year of life.

The leading causes of early childhood mortality are heart disease, congenital malformations, infections and injuries. Therefore, to reduce the early childhood mortality rate, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures aimed at improving the health of mother and child, as well as improving the quality of medical care.

In addition, an important factor is the availability of quality medical care, including timely diagnosis and treatment of diseases that can lead to early childhood mortality. It is also necessary to improve living conditions in families where many children are born, and provide them with access to quality food, education and other social services.

Thus, the early childhood death rate is an important indicator of the health status of the population and requires constant monitoring and analysis. To reduce this indicator, it is necessary to carry out comprehensive measures to improve the health of mothers and children and improve the quality of medical care in the country.