15 Countries with the Lowest Infant Mortality Rates in the World in 2017

Although infant mortality rate varies by country, last year’s devastating statistics show that countries with the highest infant mortality rates are mainly from Africa, which is why we made a list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017 in order to raise awareness about the factors affecting infant’s health.

We are sure that many people are familiar with the fact that there are enormous differences in quality of living, including living standards, conditions, and possibilities between “first world countries” and the countries that sadly doesn’t fit in this category. Statistics claim that some of the top richest, healthiest, and most advanced countries in the world are, in fact, countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world. So, what is exactly the infant mortality rate? It’s the number of infant deaths (before the first birthday) out of every 1,000 live births in one year. Some of the factors affecting infant mortality are mother’s age, the order of birth, parents’ education, residence, and occupation, as well as various cultural and economic factors. However, probably the most important ones are poverty and the lack of availability of medicine. So, what do you think, do people in countries with low infant mortality rates even know how lucky they are each time when someone blows out the candles on the cake while celebrating baby’s first birthday? We are positive that they are, and their sincere wishes, hopes, and prayers (as ours) go to the countries with the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

However, in some developed countries, such as the US, infant mortality rates are definitely high (for years). In 2014, about 23,000 infants died — that’s 6 for every 1,000 live births! The situation is especially alarming in the southeast states, and one of the possible reasons might be the fact that these are also the poorest states in the country. US infant mortality rate in 2015 and 2016 was the same — 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. In the following year, the situation didn’t differ much, and Mississippi, the state with highest infant mortality rate of 8,8 deaths per 1,000 live births is a sad proof.

On the other hand and the other side of the globe, we have countries like India which registered a decline in infant mortality rate by 8% in just one year. Although its average citizens are considered as quite poor, the country is definitely dealing with this issue. Nevertheless, the infant mortality rates in India are still high, since despite this improvement, in 2016, 43 infant deaths per 1000 live births were recorded.

So, to find out which countries have the lowest mortality rates in the world in 2017, we consulted infant mortality statistics from four different databases. We started with OECD’s report on infant mortality rates for the year 2015, Statista’s ranking of countries with the lowest infant mortality rate in 2017, United Nations’ report and CIA’s The World Factbook on the same subject. We only used the latest data available.  Also, we came up with a scoring system – each time a country was between first and fifth in the rankings we gave it three points, each time a country was between the fifth and tenth place we gave it two points, and each time a country was between the tenth and fifteenth on the list we gave it one point. Once we got our results, we ranked countries accordingly.

Are you curious to which are the countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017, and why is that the case? We won’t keep you waiting any further.

15. Macau

This autonomous region on the south coast of China has the total population of approximately 648,550. With 3.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, this country definitely deserved a place on our list.

14. France

We all agree that France is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe. With unique architecture, good infrastructure, and rich culture, France is one of the most desirable countries in the world when it comes to the living. Additionally, this country has one of the world’s best healthcare systems, so it’s no wonder that infant mortality rate is low.

13. Spain

The cost of living in Spain is one of the lowest, at least when it comes to Western Europe. Moreover, the country is filled with beautiful nature and warm people who have good taste for “siesta”, as they call their style of living. But, besides that WHO ranks Spain as seventh best in the world by the quality of healthcare. These are definitely reasons for Spain to be on our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017, right?

12. Italy

Well, we all know that a Mediterranean climate, rich culture and delicious cuisine are reasons for Italians to be healthy. When we add to that high living standard, low unemployment, and good health care system, we can understand why Italy ended up on our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017.

11. Hong Kong

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is one of the world’s leading international financial centers. When it comes to the healthcare, in Hong Kong has more than 10 private and more than 40 public hospitals. When observing the last 50 years, there was a significant decline when it comes to the infant mortality rate in this country, more precisely, from 91.8 infant deaths per 1000 live births in 1951 to 1,5 in 2015.

10. South Korea

South Korea is a country that combines tradition and modernity. It’s one of the leading countries when it comes to the technical goods production. The living standard in this country is really high but, unlike other modern countries, Koreans still believe in tradition, as we already noted. So, the strong family is the key to success in all areas of life. Maybe that’s the main reason why this country is one of the countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017.

9. Bermuda

Even though health insurance in Bermuda is very expensive, this beautiful country still manages to take ninth place on our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017.

8. The Czech Republic

Great salary jobs, household benefits packages, affordable goods, and services, as well as good and inexpensive health care, are the reasons for this country to rank eight on our list of countries with low infant mortality rate.

7. Sweden

With health care system that’s mainly government-funded, all citizens of Sweden can get equal access to the services. Moreover, with a total of 2.6 infant deaths per 1000 live births, this country definitely deserved the 7th place on our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017.

6. Finland

We all know that Finland’s economy is not doing bad, and that country is one of the most wanted among foreigners who want to live abroad. The reasons are good social politics, functional healthcare system and so on. Besides that Finland is one of the countries with the cleanest air and also the cleanest water in the world.

5. Monaco

We can blame it on the fact that Monaco sits on the Mediterranean coast, between the French and Italian Riviera, having the climate that is simply perfect. We can blame it on its luxury real estate market – which is a good indicator of bank accounts of Monacans, but this country is definitively in top five countries in the world when it comes to the lowest infant mortality rate.

4. Japan

Well, we are all familiar with the fact that Japanese are people are having high standards when getting work done is questioned. So, it is no wonder why after all disasters that happened to them during the WWII, they managed to become one of the strongest nations in the world. Moreover, eating healthy meals is for sure something that keeps them vital.

3. Singapore

We are continuing our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017 with Singapore. Singaporeans are one of the most paid people in the world; their economy is almost flawless. Also, the education system in Singapore is something they can be proud of. A good healthcare system is also something that citizens of Singapore are blessed with. It’s a good thing to be born in Singapore in 2017, and statistics are proving that.

2. Norway

According to the OECD life expectancy in Norway is 81 years. Norwegians really take good care of their health, since healthcare is basically free for everyone. And not just that, Norway’s economy is a fast-growing one, so instead of making this list any longer, we can simply say that it is no wonder why they have such low infant mortality rate in 2017.

Are you ready to find out which country has the lowest infant mortality rate?

1. Iceland

And finally, we are closing up with one of the most peaceful countries in the world. It’s rich in natural recourses, and its citizens are using it smartly. To sum up, Iceland is a country with really high living standards. What’s interesting is that the life expectancy of Iceland women is 83.7 years, and it’s among the highest in Europe.

This wraps it up for our list of countries with the lowest infant mortality rates in the world in 2017.