Global Stillbirth Rate Trends 2019

Explore global trends in stillbirth rates, highlighting improvements or setbacks over time across different countries.

199 data points•Updated 9/28/2026•Global Coverage•Stillbirth rate | Our World in Data•

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Complete Data Rankings

Rank
1	Somalia	3.477 per 1,000 births
2	Central African Republic	3.412 per 1,000 births
3	Guinea-Bissau	3.07 per 1,000 births
4	Pakistan	3.022 per 1,000 births
5	Djibouti	3.002 per 1,000 births
6	Ethiopia	2.955 per 1,000 births
7	Chad	2.897 per 1,000 births
8	Afghanistan	2.785 per 1,000 births
9	South Sudan	2.774 per 1,000 births
10	Congo, Democratic Republic of the	2.707 per 1,000 births
11	Nigeria	2.539 per 1,000 births
12	Liberia	2.504 per 1,000 births
13	Mali	2.385 per 1,000 births
14	Lesotho	2.361 per 1,000 births
15	Côte d'Ivoire	2.356 per 1,000 births
16	Guinea	2.331 per 1,000 births
17	Bangladesh	2.326 per 1,000 births
18	Sudan	2.204 per 1,000 births
19	Yemen	2.191 per 1,000 births
20	Comoros	2.184 per 1,000 births
21	Niger	2.174 per 1,000 births
22	Burundi	2.145 per 1,000 births
23	Sierra Leone	2.098 per 1,000 births
24	Togo	2.066 per 1,000 births
25	Ghana	2.058 per 1,000 births
26	Burkina Faso	2.039 per 1,000 births
27	Tanzania	2.028 per 1,000 births
28	Angola	1.971 per 1,000 births
29	Papua New Guinea	1.967 per 1,000 births
30	Senegal	1.964 per 1,000 births
31	Gambia	1.964 per 1,000 births
32	Kenya	1.947 per 1,000 births
33	Benin	1.894 per 1,000 births
34	Cameroon	1.89 per 1,000 births
35	Madagascar	1.831 per 1,000 births
36	Haiti	1.814 per 1,000 births
37	Equatorial Guinea	1.813 per 1,000 births
38	Mozambique	1.799 per 1,000 births
39	Namibia	1.775 per 1,000 births
40	Mauritania	1.756 per 1,000 births
41	Uganda	1.747 per 1,000 births
42	Zimbabwe	1.702 per 1,000 births
43	Rwanda	1.69 per 1,000 births
44	South Africa	1.688 per 1,000 births
45	Malawi	1.644 per 1,000 births
46	Eritrea	1.588 per 1,000 births
47	Timor-Leste	1.523 per 1,000 births
48	Laos	1.514 per 1,000 births
49	Congo	1.487 per 1,000 births
50	Nepal	1.477 per 1,000 births
51	Cambodia	1.457 per 1,000 births
52	Botswana	1.446 per 1,000 births
53	Zambia	1.443 per 1,000 births
54	Eswatini	1.441 per 1,000 births
55	India	1.428 per 1,000 births
56	Jamaica	1.383 per 1,000 births
57	Myanmar	1.337 per 1,000 births
58	Guatemala	1.335 per 1,000 births
59	Gabon	1.334 per 1,000 births
60	Morocco	1.321 per 1,000 births
61	Guyana	1.304 per 1,000 births
62	Dominica	1.259 per 1,000 births
63	Vanuatu	1.218 per 1,000 births
64	Syrian Arab Republic	1.211 per 1,000 births
65	Micronesia (Fed. States of)	1.202 per 1,000 births
66	Philippines	1.186 per 1,000 births
67	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	1.177 per 1,000 births
68	Solomon Islands	1.176 per 1,000 births
69	Armenia	1.164 per 1,000 births
70	Iraq	1.133 per 1,000 births
71	Suriname	1.094 per 1,000 births
72	Marshall Islands	1.081 per 1,000 births
73	Saint Lucia	1.078 per 1,000 births
74	Azerbaijan	1.069 per 1,000 births
75	Dominican Republic	1.065 per 1,000 births
76	Tunisia	1.035 per 1,000 births
77	Bahamas	1.031 per 1,000 births
78	Venezuela	1.019 per 1,000 births
79	Nicaragua	1.014 per 1,000 births
80	Mauritius	1.014 per 1,000 births
81	Montserrat	1.012 per 1,000 births
82	Niue	1 per 1,000 births
83	Sao Tome and Principe	0.985 per 1,000 births
84	Grenada	0.975 per 1,000 births
85	Paraguay	0.967 per 1,000 births
86	State of Palestine	0.963 per 1,000 births
87	Trinidad and Tobago	0.961 per 1,000 births
88	Ecuador	0.951 per 1,000 births
89	Kiribati	0.936 per 1,000 births
90	Tuvalu	0.933 per 1,000 births
91	Algeria	0.916 per 1,000 births
92	Egypt	0.91 per 1,000 births
93	Bhutan	0.907 per 1,000 births
94	Indonesia	0.896 per 1,000 births
95	El Salvador	0.888 per 1,000 births
96	Samoa	0.886 per 1,000 births
97	Bolivia	0.882 per 1,000 births
98	Cabo Verde	0.867 per 1,000 births
99	Tajikistan	0.866 per 1,000 births
100	Palau	0.864 per 1,000 births
101	Lebanon	0.861 per 1,000 births
102	Uzbekistan	0.849 per 1,000 births
103	Honduras	0.846 per 1,000 births
104	North Korea	0.823 per 1,000 births
105	Saint Kitts and Nevis	0.817 per 1,000 births
106	Republic of Moldova	0.793 per 1,000 births
107	Seychelles	0.777 per 1,000 births
108	Turkmenistan	0.777 per 1,000 births
109	Jordan	0.766 per 1,000 births
110	Antigua and Barbuda	0.762 per 1,000 births
111	Tonga	0.734 per 1,000 births
112	Fiji	0.733 per 1,000 births
113	Libya	0.733 per 1,000 births
114	Cuba	0.727 per 1,000 births
115	Colombia	0.705 per 1,000 births
116	Brazil	0.697 per 1,000 births
117	British Virgin Islands	0.693 per 1,000 births
118	Belize	0.691 per 1,000 births
119	Vietnam	0.689 per 1,000 births
120	Peru	0.68 per 1,000 births
121	Cook Islands	0.676 per 1,000 births
122	Kyrgyzstan	0.673 per 1,000 births
123	Mexico	0.672 per 1,000 births
124	Turks and Caicos Islands	0.656 per 1,000 births
125	Nauru	0.594 per 1,000 births
126	Sri Lanka	0.589 per 1,000 births
127	Iran	0.578 per 1,000 births
128	Bahrain	0.572 per 1,000 births
129	Georgia	0.568 per 1,000 births
130	Oman	0.567 per 1,000 births
131	Panama	0.562 per 1,000 births
132	Kazakhstan	0.56 per 1,000 births
133	Maldives	0.552 per 1,000 births
134	China	0.546 per 1,000 births
135	Malaysia	0.532 per 1,000 births
136	Kuwait	0.527 per 1,000 births
137	Bulgaria	0.524 per 1,000 births
138	Argentina	0.517 per 1,000 births
139	North Macedonia	0.498 per 1,000 births
140	Anguilla	0.486 per 1,000 births
141	United Arab Emirates	0.476 per 1,000 births
142	Ukraine	0.468 per 1,000 births
143	Mongolia	0.467 per 1,000 births
144	Barbados	0.455 per 1,000 births
145	Serbia	0.451 per 1,000 births
146	Brunei Darussalam	0.447 per 1,000 births
147	Turkey	0.444 per 1,000 births
148	Saudi Arabia	0.441 per 1,000 births
149	Uruguay	0.434 per 1,000 births
150	Costa Rica	0.404 per 1,000 births
151	Albania	0.398 per 1,000 births
152	Montenegro	0.393 per 1,000 births
153	Thailand	0.387 per 1,000 births
154	Russia	0.382 per 1,000 births
155	Hungary	0.361 per 1,000 births
156	Qatar	0.36 per 1,000 births
157	Latvia	0.351 per 1,000 births
158	Luxembourg	0.347 per 1,000 births
159	Greece	0.332 per 1,000 births
160	Romania	0.309 per 1,000 births
161	Belgium	0.308 per 1,000 births
162	Malta	0.3 per 1,000 births
163	France	0.298 per 1,000 births
164	Croatia	0.297 per 1,000 births
165	Slovakia	0.296 per 1,000 births
166	Canada	0.286 per 1,000 births
167	Lithuania	0.281 per 1,000 births
168	Italy	0.278 per 1,000 births
169	United States	0.275 per 1,000 births
170	Chile	0.275 per 1,000 births
171	Cyprus	0.274 per 1,000 births
172	Israel	0.273 per 1,000 births
173	New Zealand	0.272 per 1,000 births
174	Germany	0.272 per 1,000 births
175	Czech Republic	0.27 per 1,000 births
176	United Kingdom	0.266 per 1,000 births
177	Bosnia and Herzegovina	0.265 per 1,000 births
178	Ireland	0.254 per 1,000 births
179	Sweden	0.252 per 1,000 births
180	Slovenia	0.252 per 1,000 births
181	Andorra	0.246 per 1,000 births
182	Australia	0.245 per 1,000 births
183	Portugal	0.241 per 1,000 births
184	Norway	0.239 per 1,000 births
185	Poland	0.238 per 1,000 births
186	Belarus	0.238 per 1,000 births
187	Switzerland	0.233 per 1,000 births
188	Austria	0.229 per 1,000 births
189	Denmark	0.224 per 1,000 births
190	Spain	0.222 per 1,000 births
191	San Marino	0.22 per 1,000 births
192	Netherlands	0.217 per 1,000 births
193	Estonia	0.213 per 1,000 births
194	Iceland	0.206 per 1,000 births
195	Singapore	0.2 per 1,000 births
196	Finland	0.2 per 1,000 births
197	South Korea	0.172 per 1,000 births
198	Japan	0.156 per 1,000 births
199	Monaco	0.127 per 1,000 births

↑Top 10 Countries

Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.

↓Bottom 10 Countries

Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.

Analysis & Context

In 2019, Somalia recorded the highest rate in the "Global Stillbirth Rate Trends" at 3.48 per 1,000 births, while Monaco had the lowest rate at 0.13 per 1,000 births. The global stillbirth rates ranged from these extremes across 199 countries. The global average stillbirth rate in 2019 was 1.04 per 1,000 births, with a median value of 0.86.

Disparities in Stillbirth Rates

The disparity in stillbirth rates across different countries can be attributed to a multitude of factors, including healthcare access, socioeconomic conditions, and public health policies. Countries with the highest stillbirth rates, such as Somalia (3.48), Central African Republic (3.41), and Guinea-Bissau (3.07), often face significant challenges in healthcare infrastructure. These nations struggle with limited access to quality maternal and newborn care, exacerbated by economic instability and ongoing conflicts.

In contrast, countries with the lowest rates like Monaco (0.13), Japan (0.16), and South Korea (0.17) benefit from advanced healthcare systems, comprehensive prenatal care, and higher socioeconomic standards. These factors contribute to their successful reduction in stillbirth rates, reflecting the effectiveness of healthcare policies and well-funded health services.

Economic and Policy Drivers

Economic conditions and healthcare policies play pivotal roles in influencing stillbirth rates. In countries like Pakistan (3.02) and Ethiopia (2.95), high stillbirth rates are often linked to inadequate healthcare funding and insufficient maternal health programs. These nations may also face challenges such as high poverty rates and limited educational opportunities, further hindering progress in reducing stillbirths.

Conversely, nations such as Finland (0.20) and Singapore (0.20) showcase the impact of robust healthcare policies and economic stability. These countries have implemented comprehensive maternal health initiatives, ensuring that expectant mothers receive necessary medical care and support throughout pregnancy, thereby minimizing the risk of stillbirths.

Year-Over-Year Changes and Trends

The "Global Stillbirth Rate Trends" in 2019 showed an average decrease of -0.01 (-1.3%) compared to the previous year, highlighting a global effort towards improvement. Burundi experienced the most significant decrease at -0.29 (-11.8%), followed by Bangladesh with a reduction of -0.11 (-4.5%). These decreases may be attributed to targeted healthcare interventions and increased awareness of maternal health issues in these regions.

However, certain countries saw increases in stillbirth rates. Zimbabwe had the largest increase at +0.09 (5.9%), with other countries like Namibia (+0.08) and Burkina Faso (+0.06) also experiencing rises. These increases could be linked to deteriorating healthcare systems, economic challenges, or disruptions caused by political instability, which can impede access to essential maternal health services.

Future Directions and Considerations

Understanding the complex interplay of factors affecting stillbirth rates is crucial for developing effective interventions. Countries with high stillbirth rates need to prioritize investments in healthcare infrastructure and maternal health programs. International aid and partnerships can also play a significant role in supporting these efforts, particularly in regions plagued by conflict and poverty.

For countries that have achieved low stillbirth rates, maintaining and enhancing their healthcare systems remains essential. Continuous monitoring and adaptation of healthcare policies to address emerging challenges will be crucial in sustaining these achievements. Additionally, sharing best practices and successful strategies across borders can foster global improvements in maternal and newborn health.

Frequently Asked Questions About Global Stillbirth Rate Trends in 2019

Which country had the highest stillbirth rate in 2019?

Somalia had the highest stillbirth rate in 2019, with 3.48 per 1,000 births.

Which country had the lowest stillbirth rate in 2019?

Monaco had the lowest stillbirth rate in 2019, with 0.13 per 1,000 births.

What was the average stillbirth rate across countries in 2019?

The average stillbirth rate across countries in 2019 was 1.04 per 1,000 births.

What was the median stillbirth rate among countries in 2019?

The median stillbirth rate among countries in 2019 was 0.86 per 1,000 births.

Which countries were in the top 3 for highest stillbirth rates in 2019?

The top 3 countries with the highest stillbirth rates in 2019 were Somalia, Central African Republic, and Guinea-Bissau.

How many countries are included in the stillbirth rate dataset for 2019?

The stillbirth rate dataset for 2019 includes 199 countries.

Insights by country

Lithuania

In 2019, Lithuania had a global stillbirth rate of 0.2806022 per 1,000 births, ranking #167 out of 199 countries. This figure is higher than some of its Baltic neighbors, indicating potential regional health challenges. Contributing factors may include economic disparities, access to quality prenatal care, and demographic trends affecting maternal health in Lithuania.

Seychelles

Seychelles ranked #107 globally in 2019 for Global Stillbirth Rate Trends, with a rate of 0.77727187 per 1,000 births. This figure is notably lower than the global average, reflecting the country's relatively advanced healthcare system compared to many developing nations. Contributing factors include Seychelles' investment in maternal health services and a high literacy rate, which empowers women with better access to healthcare and family planning resources.

Saint Lucia

In 2019, Saint Lucia had a global stillbirth rate of 1.0777007 per 1,000 births, ranking #73 out of 199 countries. This rate is relatively low compared to the global average, indicating better maternal health outcomes than many other regions. Contributing factors include improvements in healthcare access and maternal care policies aimed at reducing infant mortality, which have been prioritized in recent years.

Mauritius

In 2019, Mauritius ranked #80 globally with a stillbirth rate of 1.0142208 per 1,000 births. This rate is lower than the global average, indicating better maternal health outcomes compared to many countries. Key drivers of this statistic include Mauritius's robust healthcare system, which emphasizes prenatal care, and government policies aimed at improving maternal and child health services.

Panama

In 2019, Panama had a **Global Stillbirth Rate** of **0.5618286 per 1,000 births**, ranking **#131** out of 199 countries. This rate is higher than the global average, indicating challenges in maternal and neonatal health services. Contributing factors include limited access to healthcare in rural areas and socioeconomic disparities that affect prenatal care quality.

Morocco

In 2019, Morocco had a Global Stillbirth Rate of 1.3207015 per 1,000 births, ranking #60 out of 199 countries. This rate is lower than the global average, indicating progress in maternal and neonatal health. Factors contributing to this statistic include improvements in healthcare access and maternal education, as well as ongoing government initiatives aimed at reducing infant mortality.

Tuvalu

In 2019, Tuvalu had a Global Stillbirth Rate of 0.933046 per 1,000 births, ranking #90 out of 199 countries. This rate is relatively low compared to global averages, indicating a better-than-average performance in maternal and infant health. Factors contributing to this statistic include Tuvalu's small population, which allows for more focused healthcare initiatives, and its commitment to improving healthcare access in remote areas.

North Korea

In 2019, North Korea had a global stillbirth rate of 0.82278913 per 1,000 births, ranking #104 out of 199 countries. This rate is higher than some neighboring countries, indicating potential challenges in maternal health care. Factors contributing to this statistic include limited access to modern medical facilities, ongoing economic sanctions, and a lack of comprehensive healthcare policies that prioritize prenatal care.

Chile

In 2019, Chile ranked #170 globally with a stillbirth rate of 0.2746119 per 1,000 births. This figure is higher than some neighboring countries, indicating potential challenges in maternal health care. Contributing factors include disparities in access to health services, particularly in rural areas, and socio-economic inequalities that affect prenatal care and education.

Argentina

In 2019, Argentina ranked #138 globally with a stillbirth rate of 0.5171589 per 1,000 births. This rate is higher than many neighboring countries, indicating potential areas for improvement in maternal health services. Contributing factors to this statistic include disparities in healthcare access, particularly in rural areas, and socioeconomic challenges that affect overall health outcomes for mothers and infants.

Data Source

Stillbirth rate | Our World in Data

Our World in Data is a research initiative that provides comprehensive global statistics on various development topics, including health, education, and the economy. The dataset on stillbirth rates offers country-level statistics that track the prevalence of stillbirths, helping to inform public health initiatives and policies.

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Historical Data by Year

Explore Global Stillbirth Rate Trends data across different years. Compare trends and see how statistics have changed over time.

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