infant mortality rate

Measure of the number of infants dying under one year of age, usually expressed as the number of deaths per 1,000 live births. Improved sanitation, nutrition, and medical care have considerably lowered figures throughout much of the world; for example, in the 18th century in the USA and UK infant mortality was about 500/1,000 compared with under 7/1,000 in 2000–05. The lowest infant mortality rate is in Iceland, at 3.1/1,000 live births. In much of the developing world, however, the infant mortality rate remains high.