Infant Mortality

Infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Glasgow, 1855-2018
click graph to expand

Over the last 150 years, improvements in housing, better sanitation, less overcrowding, public health advances, better healthcare and improved life circumstances have led to a steady improvement in the infant death rate. In 2018, the infant death rate in Glasgow was 4.4 per 1,000 live births, a huge improvement on the position in 1855 when nearly 200 infants in every 1,000 died in their first year of life.

Since 2005 infant death rates in Glasgow have fluctuated from year to year. Overall, during the period 2005-2018, there has been no further reduction in the infant death rate for the city. 

Notes

Historical figures (up to 1972) are taken from the Reports of the Medical Officer of Health for Glasgow. More recent figures are taken from the Registrar General of Scotland’s Annual Reports