Infant Mortality

Infant deaths (aged under 1 year) per 1,000 live births in Glasgow, 1855-2019
click graph to expand

Over the last 160 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 2019, the infant death rate in Glasgow was 3.1 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.

The most recent figure of 3.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births represents the lowest ever recorded annualised rate of infant deaths in 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