Childhood Mortality

Childhood death rates fell significantly during the 20^th century and death in childhood is now rare. Factors that have contributed to this decline include; improved diet, sanitation and healthcare as well as wider availability of vaccinations and better access to antenatal and post-natal care.

Mortality rates are highest for children under the age of one year and the majority of these deaths occur in the first few days after birth. Further information on cause of death in childhood and infancy is available on the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) website and from the Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR).

This page provides a summary of mortality in children under 15 years of age, produced from previously published death registration data collected by the General Register Office Scotland.

Table 1, Figures 1a and 1b: Childhood Mortality Trend
Number of deaths and rate per 10,000 population in children under 15 years of age;
Calendar years 1987 - 2007  ( 35 kb)

 Table 2, Figure 2: Mortality by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation and Age Group
Deaths in children under 15 years of age by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and age group (number, percentage and rate per 10,000 population);
Calendar year 2007   ( 29 kb).

Note: the GROS have recently published preliminary annual mortality figures for 2008.

Key Points

Childhood Mortality Trend

Death rates in children under 15 years have fallen from 8.4 per 10,000 population (809 deaths) in 1987 to 4.6 per 10,000 population (392 deaths) in 2007 (Figure 1a).

Number of Deaths by Age Group

Mortality rates are highest amongst children under the age of 1, with a rate of 47.7 deaths per 10,000 population in 2007 (Figure 1b) . This represents approximately two thirds of all deaths in children under the age of 15 years (272 of 392).

Mortality by Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) and Age Group

Children from the most deprived areas have a higher mortality rate than children from the most affluent areas. In 2007, 6.7 deaths per 10,000 population were recorded in the most deprived areas (SIMD quintile 5), compared with 3.4 deaths per 10,000 population in the least deprived areas (SIMD quintile 1) (Figure 2).

The effect of deprivation on infant mortality rates is heavily influenced by circumstances of birth. Prematurity is an important factor especially for mothers in more deprived areas.

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