Ground Report | New Delhi: 3.4 lakh newborns died; During 2019, 340,622 newborns died before birth in India. On the other hand, if we talk about children per thousand births, then during this time about 13.9 children were born dead. This clearly shows that even today the health of pregnant women in the country is not given as much attention as it should be.
3.4 lakh newborns died
However, if we compare 2019 with the figures of 2000, there has been a decline of about 150.2 percent. Significantly, earlier in 2000, 852,386 newborns were born dead. Similarly, the rate of stillbirths per thousand births during that period was 29.6, which means there were about 30 stillbirths per thousand births. This information has recently come out in a research published in the international journal Lancet.
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If we look at the definition of the World Health Organization, according to it the death of a child in the womb or death while giving birth after the 28th week of pregnancy is called stillbirth, while the death before this period is called miscarriage. .
India tops world in terms of stillbirths
On the other hand, if we look at the statistics related to the global level, then in 2019, about 20 lakh children were born dead. On the other hand, if we talk about per thousand children, then globally this rate is equal to 13.9 in India. Surprisingly, even today India tops the world in terms of stillbirths. Where in 2019, about 17.3 percent of the dead children of the world were born. It was followed by Pakistan at 9.7 percent (190,483) and African nation Nigeria at 8.7 percent (171,428).
If the difference between rich and poor countries in case of stillbirth remains the same. Where on one hand, in 2019, 83.6 percent (16 lakh) cases of still births were reported in low-income countries and 1.9 percent in high-income countries.
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At the regional level, West and Central Africa had the highest rates of stillbirths per thousand births at 22.8, nearly eight times higher than in Western Europe (2.9) and North America (3.0). It was recorded at 20.5 percent in East and South Africa and 18.2 percent in South Asia.
Stillbirth rate declined by 35.1%
Globally, the stillbirth rate has declined by 35.1 percent since 2000. While in 2000, out of every thousand births, 21.4 children died in the womb, in 2019 the figure dropped to 13.9. According to the data, during this period, the maximum decline in this rate has been seen in the East Asia and Pacific region, 50.8 percent. It was followed by Eastern Europe and Central Asia at 48.4 percent and South Asia at 43.4 percent.
At the same time, the fixed birth rate in India declined by 53 percent during this period. Where in 2000 the number of children born dead per thousand children was 29.6, which has come down to 13.9 in 2019.
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