Infant Mortality Rate Down 88% in the Last Five Decades

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reports that the infant mortality rate in Indonesia was 16.85 deaths per 1,000 live births based on the 2020 Population Census (SP). This means that 16-17 out of every 1,000 babies born in 2020 died.

Thus, the infant mortality rate has decreased by 88.36% in the last five decades compared to the 1971 Population Census result, which reached 145 deaths per 1,000 live births. This decrease indicates an improvement in public health services over the past 50 years.

Infant mortality also decreased significantly by 35.19% in 2020 compared to the 2010 Population Census, which recorded 26 deaths per 1,000 live births.

"The increase in the percentage of babies receiving complete immunization and the increase in the average duration of breastfeeding have made babies more able to survive," wrote the BPS in the long-form report of the 2020 Population Census released on Friday, January 27, 2023.

The under-five mortality rate (infant and child mortality) based on the 2020 Population Census was 19.83 deaths per 1,000 live births.

The following are infant mortality rates by age group based on the 2020 Population Census:

* Neonatal (0-28 days): 9.3 deaths per 1,000 live births
* Infants aged 1-4 years: 2.98 deaths per 1,000 live births
* Under-five mortality rate (children under 5 years): 19.83 deaths per 1,000 live births