Significant Increase in Infant Mortality in France

The infant mortality rate (IMR) is a key indicator of population health. In the absence of updated data on the statistical trends of this indicator in France, researchers from Inserm, Université de Paris, the Paris public hospitals group (AP-HP) and Nantes University Hospital, in collaboration with teams from the University of California, analyzed civil registry data from the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE) from 2001 to 2019. They identified a significant increase in the IMR since 2012, thereby setting France apart from other high-income countries. The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health - Europe , reflect the importance of more in-depth research into the precise causes of these 1200 excess deaths observed each year in France before one year of age. The United Nations have made one of its priority objectives the elimination of preventable deaths in children by 2030. Given that the vast majority of child deaths occur during the first year of life, the infant mortality rate (IMR) 1 is used to track progress towards this goal. IMR serves as a key indicator of population health, given its strong relationship with the socio-economic development and quality of preventive and curative care in the country.