Child health

Children's health and well-being including childhood, infant and perinatal mortality, childhood cancer survival and illness.

Spotlight

In 2020, 2,226 infant deaths (aged under one year) and 789 child deaths (aged 1 to 15 years) occurred in England and Wales; these are the lowest numbers of infant and child deaths since records began in 1980.
In 2020, the infant mortality rate was 3.6 deaths per 1,000 live births in England and Wales; while this follows a general decline since 1980, the infant mortality rate has remained fairly stable since 2014.
In 2020, there were 11 deaths of children aged 28 days to 15 years where the underlying cause was “novel coronavirus (COVID-19)”.

In 2020, there were 150 unexplained deaths of infants (aged under one year) in England and Wales, accounting for 6.7% of all infant deaths.
The unexplained infant mortality rate had been decreasing since records began in 2004, before levelling out since 2014.
The infant mortality rate in 2020 (0.24 deaths per 1,000 live births) is lower than previous years, although this provisional figure may be influenced by delays to death registrations because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Healthy family functioning and parental mental health are important elements in understanding the mental health of children.

Main tables: Unexplained deaths in infancy, England and Wales

Annual data on sudden infant deaths in England and Wales and deaths for which the cause remained unascertained after a full investigation.
Child mortality (death cohort) tables in England and Wales

Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths occurring annually in England and Wales, and associated risk factors.
Birth cohort tables for infant deaths

Live births, stillbirths and linked infant deaths for babies born in a given calendar year in England and Wales, and associated risk factors including gestational age, birthweight, mother's age at birth and ethnicity.
Unexpected deaths in infancy, England and Wales

Annual data on unexpected deaths (certified by a coroner) and infant deaths by selected causes in England and Wales.

Child and infant mortality in England and Wales: 2021

Stillbirths, infant and childhood deaths occurring annually in England and Wales, and associated risk factors.
Unexplained deaths in infancy, England and Wales: 2021

Annual data on sudden infant deaths in England and Wales and infant deaths for which the cause remained unascertained after a full investigation.
Pregnancy and ethnic factors influencing births and infant mortality: 2013

Death rates of pre-term, full-term and post-term babies and various factors that may influence their survival.
Cancer survival in England: adult, stage at diagnosis and childhood - patients followed up to 2018

1-year, 5-year, and 10-year net-survival estimates for adults and children diagnosed with cancer between 2013 and 2017 and followed up to 2018, and by stage at diagnosis.

Children whose families struggle to get on are more likely to have mental disorders

Healthy family functioning and parental mental health are important elements in understanding the mental health of children.
UK drops in European child mortality rankings

The UK has dropped several ranks in the European Union rankings of child mortality since 1990, recent analysis of WHO and ONS data has found.
Children’s and young people’s experiences of loneliness

Analysis of children's and young people’s views, experiences and suggestions to overcome loneliness, using in-depth interviews, the Community Life Survey 2016 to 2017 and Good Childhood Index Survey, 2018.
Measuring national well-being in the UK

This article explores how the UK is faring in important areas of well-being compared with the member states of the European Union (EU) and the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).