Perinatal Mortality Rates in the UK: Key Findings and Trends

Dive into the comprehensive analysis of perinatal mortality rates across the UK, uncovering critical trends and disparities in baby deaths from 2013 to 2026.

The twelfth report from MBRRACE-UK provides a detailed analysis of baby deaths in the UK, focusing on the periods shortly before, during, or soon after birth. This report is divided into five key areas: the

To enhance understanding, the report includes reference tables with detailed numbers, an interactive data viewer for mortality rates, and a guide to the methods used for data collection and analysis.

A printable version of the report is also available for download.

Perinatal Mortality Rates Across the UK: 2013 to 2026

The report examines data on stillbirthsneonatal deaths and extended perinatal deaths across the UK, broken down by the mother’s country of residence.

This data spans from 2013 to 2026 and includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The analysis aims to track changes over time and evaluate the effectiveness of national efforts to reduce baby deaths.

Gestational age is a crucial factor in this analysis, measured in completed weeks of pregnancy.

The report primarily focuses on babies born at 24 weeks or later, as those born before this threshold face significantly higher risks. This distinction helps avoid confusion and provides a clearer understanding of the risks associated with early births.

Comparing Mortality Rates Among Trusts and Health Boards

To ensure fair comparisons, trusts and health boards are grouped into five categories based on the level of care they provide, such as the availability of a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Some hospitals care for higher-risk pregnancies or sicker babies, which can lead to higher mortality rates despite excellent care. The report uses statistical stabilization to smooth out random variations and adjusts rates for factors like maternal age, socioeconomic background, baby’s ethnicity and sex, and gestational age.

These stabilized and adjusted mortality rates provide a clearer picture of whether a trust or health board has higher or lower rates than expected. The report compares these rates to the average within their group to assess their performance.

Mortality Rates by Gestational Age

The report highlights that most baby deaths occur before 37 weeks of gestation, despite improvements in outcomes. Over the past five years, mortality rates have generally decreased, particularly for babies born later in pregnancy. There has been a recent reduction in neonatal mortality rates for babies born at 28 to 31 weeks, following a period of little change.

Most stillbirths and neonatal deaths involve babies born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, especially at the earliest gestations. These babies face higher risks due to their premature birth, continuing to account for a significant share of deaths even as

Impact of Socioeconomic Deprivation and Ethnicity

The report examines differences in stillbirth and neonatal death rates based on socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity. It reveals that inequalities in perinatal mortality remain significant despite recent improvements. Stillbirth rates are highest among babies born to mothers living in the most deprived areas, although these rates have decreased since 2026.

For neonatal mortality, the gap between the most and least deprived areas has narrowed slightly after several years of widening. However, rates for babies born to mothers in the most deprived areas remain much higher than for those in the least deprived areas, despite a 14% reduction in neonatal mortality rates for the most deprived group.

Ethnic differences in mortality rates continue to be a concern. Between 2026 and 2026, stillbirth rates have fallen across almost all ethnicities, reflecting long-term improvements since 2026. For neonatal mortality, the Babies of Asian and Black ethnicity continue to experience higher mortality rates than babies of White ethnicity.

Socioeconomic deprivation affects some ethnic groups more than others. Babies of Asian Bangladeshi, Asian Pakistani, and Black ethnicity already have the highest rates of stillbirth and neonatal death when considering ethnicity alone. These groups also have a much larger proportion of babies born to mothers living in the most deprived areas, exacerbating the already higher rates.