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First Copyright November 2011.  May be used provided proper citation is given.  See note at bottom.

This report focuses on one demographic trend: infant mortality rate (IMR). IMR is a good general indicator of health for a country. Other indicators can be combined for more comprehensive analysis of health conditions of a country, but IMR is a good place to start. In this report we look at levels of IMR and changes in IMR over time.  We also look at change in IMR inequality, which is an indicator differences in IMR between regions. Change in IMR inequality over time is another way to compare regions, so that we see not only whether regions changed, but how they changed compared to other regions. 

The basic findings of this report are that IMR is highest in Africa and Asia, lowest in Western Europe and Northern America, that IMR declined everywhere, but most in Europe and least in Sub-Saharan Africa, that inequality between regions increased for some of the time but in the most recent decade has decreased, and that inequality within most regions (except for Western Europe) has been increasing among the countries with highest and lowest IMR.

• Sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Africa had the highest IMR in 1950-1955 (177 and 184 infant deaths per 1,000 births, respectively). By 2005-2010, IMR in Sub-Saharan Africa was still the highest (85 infant deaths per 1,000 births).  IMR in Northern Africa is now the second highest (37 infant deaths per 1,000 births), although much lower than IMR in Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Asia had the next highest IMR in 1950-1955 (145 infant deaths per 1,000 births). By 2005-2010, IMR in Asia (41 deaths per 1,000 births) was similar to IMR in Northern Africa.

• Latin America and the Caribbean also had a high IMR in 1950-1955 (127 infant deaths per 1,000 births). By 2005-2010, IMR in Latin America and the Caribbean was much more moderate (22 deaths per 1,000 births).

• Northern America and Western Europe had the lowest IMR in 1950-1955 (31 and 45 infant deaths per 1,000 births, respectively). In 2005-2010, IMR in Northern America and Western Europe were still the lowest  (7 and 4 infant deaths per 1,000 births).

• IMR for Eastern and Western Europe declined by 89% and 91%, respectively.

• IMR for Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern Africa and Northern America declined by 83%, 80% and 77%, respectively.

• IMR for Asia declined by 72%. 
  

• IMR for Sub-Saharan Africa only declined by 52%, slightly over half, from 177 to 85.
  

• Because IMR declined much more in Europe and Northern America than it did in Sub-Saharan Africa, the difference between IMR in Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe/Northern America (IMR inequality) increased quite a bit, until the most recent decade, when IMR inequality has been declining, probably because IMR in Northern America did not change during that time, while IMR in other regions continued to decline.
  

• In 1950-1955, IMR in Sub-Saharan Africa and Northern Africa were about six times as high as the IMR in Northern America.
  

• By 1980-1985, IMR in Northern Africa was about eight times the IMR in Northern America but by 2005-2010, declined to about five times as high. 
  

• By 1995-2000, IMR in Sub-Saharan Africa was fifteen times the IMR in Northern America, but by 2005-2010, declined to twelve times as high.

• IMR inequality between Northern America and other regions increased slightly from 1950-1955 through some time in the 1980s or 1990s, and then IMR inequality has been declining since 1990-2000, probably because IMR in Northern America did not change during that time.

• The ratio of IMR in Asia to IMR in Northern America increased slightly from just under five in 1950-1955 to 7.4 in 1995-2000, and has since been declining.

• The ratio of IMR in Eastern Europe to IMR in Northern America declined slightly, but declining sharply since 1995-2000.

• The ratio of IMR in Latin America and the Caribbean to IMR in Northern America increased slightly from four in 1950-1955 to five in 1980-1985, and has since been declining, especially in the last decade.

• The ratio of IMR in Western Europe to IMR in Northern America declined a little, changing from 1.5 in 1950-1955 to 0.6 in 2005-2010.

• Within regions, IMR varies from country to country by quite a lot.

• In every region except Western Europe, IMR inequality increased over time, at least among the countries with highest and lowest IMR. (Didn't show comparisons for Northern Africa and Northern America because there were too few countries in those regions.)
  

• In Western Europe, IMR inequality decreased.

• Specifically, by region:

• In Asia, in 1950-1955, Afghanistan, Timor-Leste and Iran had IMR more than four times as high as the IMR in Israel, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
• By 2005-2010, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Cambodia had IMR more than twenty times as high as the IMR in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, while IMR in Afghanistan had IMR more than forty times as high.

• In Eastern Europe, in 1950-1955, the areas that would become Albania, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina had IMR around two to three times that of the areas that would become Czech Republic, Slovenia and Latvia.
• By 2005-2010, Albania, Moldova and Macedonia had IMR three to five times that of IMR in Czech Republic, Slovenia and Hungary.

• In Latin America and the Caribbean, in 1950-1955, Nicaragua, Honduras, Bolivia and Peru had IMR almost three times that of Uruguay, Virgin Islands, U.S., Grenada, Puerto Rico, Argentina.  IMR in Haiti was about four times as high as IMR in Uruguay, Virgin Islands, U.S., Grenada, Puerto Rico, Argentina.
• By 2005-2010, Bolivia and Guyana had IMR more than five times that of Cuba, Chile and Puerto Rico. Again, Haiti had an IMR close to six times that of Cuba, Chile and Puerto Rico. 
  

• In Oceania, in 1950-1955,Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands had IMR more than five times that of Australia and New Zealand.
• By 2005-2010, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands had IMR ten times as high as IMR in Australia, New Caledonia and New Zealand.

• In Sub-Saharan Africa, in 1950-1955, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and Djibouti had IMR more than two times that of South America, Mauritius and Zimbabwe.
• By 2005-2010, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Congo (Kinshasa), Sierra Leone and Somalia had IMR more than five times that of Mayotte, Mauritius and Cape Verde.

• In Western Europe, in 1950-1955, Spain, Italy, Greece and Austria had IMRs about three times that of Sweden, Iceland, Norway and Netherlands.
• By 2005-2010, Malta, United Kingdom, Greece, Portugal and the Netherlands had IMR about twice that of Iceland, Luxembourg, Sweden and Finland.
  

Chart 1
 
Source: World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, United Nations Population Division, UN Data, http://data.un.org  

Chart 2
 
Source: World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision, United Nations Population Division, UN Data, http://data.un.org