Infant mortality

Infant deaths (aged under 1 year) per 1,000 live births in Glasgow, 1855-2023

Over the last 168 years, improvements in housing, better sanitation, less overcrowding, public health advances, better healthcare, and improved life circumstances have led to a steady improvement in the infant death rate. In 2023, the infant death rate in Glasgow was 3.7 per 1,000 live births, a huge improvement on the position in 1855 when nearly 200 infants in every 1,000 died in their first year of life.

The most recent rate of 3.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births represents a reduction over the previous two years (4.2 per 1000 in 2021).

Notes

Historical figures (up to 1972) are taken from the Reports of the Medical Officer of Health for Glasgow. More recent figures are taken from the National Records for Scotland’s Annual Reports.

This page was last updated in January 2025.