By: Malick Nyang
According to World Health Organization, Infant mortality rate is the probability of a child born in a specific year or period dying before reaching the age of one, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of that period.
Infant mortality rate is strictly speaking not a rate (i.e. the number of deaths divided by the number of populations at risk during a certain period of time) but a probability of death derived from a life table and expressed as rate per 1000 live births.
The calculation for IMR is: IMP = (Number of infant deaths/Number of live births) x1000. For example, if there were 1,300 infant deaths and 150,000 live births in a state in 2008, the IMR for that state in 2008 would be 8.7 deaths per 1,000 live
Some factors that contribute to infant mortality include
Congenital malformations: Conditions like cleft lip and palate, Down Syndrome, and heart defects are present at birth.
Malnutrition: In less developed countries, malnutrition is a leading cause of infant death.
Infectious diseases: In less developed countries, infectious diseases are a leading cause of infant death.
Poor education: Poor education can lead to high numbers of births per mother and short intervals between births.
Limited access to birth control: Limited access to birth control can lead to high numbers of births per mother and short intervals between births.
Here are some other mortality rates in The Gambia:
- Under-five mortality rate: 45.6 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Neonatal mortality rate: 24 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Under-five mortality rate for females: 41 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Under-five mortality rate for males: 50 deaths per 1,000 live births
The infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2023 was 38.178 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.37% decline from 2022. The infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2022 was 39.508 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.26% decline from 2021.
- The current infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2024 is 37.204 deaths per 1000 live births, a 2.55% decline from 2023.
- The infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2023 was 38.178 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.37% decline from 2022.
- The infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2022 was 39.508 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.26% decline from 2021.
- The infant mortality rate for Gambia in 2021 was 40.839 deaths per 1000 live births, a 3.15% decline from 2020.
According to the 2019/20 Gambia Demographic Health Survey- Infant and under-5 mortality rates for the 5-year period before the survey are 42 and 56 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively.
- The neonatal mortality rate is 29 deaths per 1,000 live births. At these mortality levels, about 1 in 18 children in The Gambia does not survive to their fifth birthday.
- In The Gambia, infant, under-5 and neonatal mortality levels have increased since 2013.
- Under-5 mortality has slightly increased from 54 to 56 deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality has increased from 34 to 42 deaths per 1,000 live births.
- Neonatal mortality has increased, from 22 to 29 deaths per 1,000 live births. Child mortality (deaths to children between ages 1 and 5) decreased slightly from 20 to 15 deaths per 1,000 live births
