What is Infant Mortality rate ?
proportion of children that die before the age of 1 year as a proportion of 1000 live children born in that particular year
Infant mortality is measured before the first birthday — option 4.
The definition. The Infant Mortality Rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year. The word infant is used in demography in exactly that technical sense — a child under one.
| Indicator | Age covered | Denominator |
|---|---|---|
| Neonatal mortality rate | First 28 days | Per 1,000 live births |
| Infant mortality rate | Under 1 year | Per 1,000 live births |
| Under-five mortality rate | Under 5 years | Per 1,000 live births |
| Maternal mortality ratio | Deaths in pregnancy and up to 42 days after delivery | Per 1,00,000 live births |
| Crude death rate | All ages | Per 1,000 population |
Why the first year is chosen. Mortality is concentrated overwhelmingly in the earliest weeks and months of life, and the causes — prematurity, birth asphyxia, low birth weight, infection, diarrhoea and pneumonia — are precisely those that basic health services can address. IMR is therefore treated as one of the most sensitive available measures of a population’s health, nutrition and access to care, and it is a component of the Human Development Index family of indicators.
The Indian picture. The Sample Registration System of the Registrar General of India is the source. India’s IMR has fallen steadily to the high twenties per 1,000; among the states, Kerala has long recorded the lowest figure, in single digits, while Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar record the highest. Sustainable Development Goal 3 sets a target of reducing neonatal mortality to 12 and under-five mortality to 25 per 1,000 live births by 2030.
A note on the denominator. It is live births, not the child population — which is why a stillbirth is excluded from both numerator and denominator.
Hence, the answer is before the age of 1 year, per 1000 live births.
Similar Questions
By how much did the Female Labour Force Participation Rate increase from 2017-18 to 2022-23, according to the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) ?
Which Indian State has the highest literacy rate as per the 2023 census ?
Important Questions from Human Development Indices and Concepts
Which of the following is NOT a determined of human resource development of a country?
Which of the following is not related to 'Empowerment of women'?
The decades_______ are referred to as the period of population explosion in India.
The draft for the planned economy, also known as the 'Bombay Plan' was proposed in which of the following years?
Inequalities in income are measured by which of the following?
A. Lorenz Ratio
B. Theil's Index
C. Palma Ratio
D. Deprivation Ratio
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
