Infant health: low birthweight in Canada

Canada: Infant health: low birthweight was 7.2 Percentage of live births in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
7.2 Percentage of live births
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
21st
of 41 countries
All-time high
7.8 Percentage of live births
in 1966
All-time low
5.5 Percentage of live births
in 1984
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Infant health: low birthweight in Canada, 1961–2024

02468196119922024

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of live births.

Analysis

In 2024, infant health: low birthweight in Canada stood at 7.2 Percentage of live births.

That represents a change of up 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant health: low birthweight in Canada peaked at 7.8 Percentage of live births in 1966 and was at its lowest, 5.5 Percentage of live births, in 1984.

That places Canada 21st out of 41 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 7.59 Percentage of live births 7.2 Percentage of live births 7.8 Percentage of live births 9
1970s 6.79 Percentage of live births 5.9 Percentage of live births 7.8 Percentage of live births 10
1980s 5.62 Percentage of live births 5.5 Percentage of live births 5.9 Percentage of live births 10
1990s 5.66 Percentage of live births 5.5 Percentage of live births 5.8 Percentage of live births 10
2000s 5.88 Percentage of live births 5.5 Percentage of live births 6.1 Percentage of live births 10
2010s 6.34 Percentage of live births 6.1 Percentage of live births 6.7 Percentage of live births 10
2020s 6.9 Percentage of live births 6.5 Percentage of live births 7.2 Percentage of live births 5

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 18 Argentina 7.4 Percentage of live births compare
  2. 19 Spain 7.3 Percentage of live births compare
  3. 19 Russian Federation 7.3 Percentage of live births compare
  4. 21 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 7.2 Percentage of live births compare
  5. 23 New Zealand 7 Percentage of live births compare
  6. 24 Italy 6.7 Percentage of live births compare
  7. 24 Israel 6.7 Percentage of live births compare
  8. 24 Peru 6.7 Percentage of live births compare

See the full ranking of 51 places β†’

More health data for Canada

All data for Canada β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is infant health: low birthweight in Canada?
Infant health: low birthweight in Canada was 7.2 Percentage of live births in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
What is the highest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 7.8 Percentage of live births in 1966.
What is the lowest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 5.5 Percentage of live births in 1984.
How does Canada rank for infant health: low birthweight?
Canada ranks 21st out of 41 countries with data for 2024.
Is infant health: low birthweight rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is up 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Infant health: low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Infant health: low birthweight in Canada. Statizoid, drawing on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 20 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infant-health-low-birthweight/canada/

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About this data

Indicator
Infant health: low birthweight
Unit
Percentage of live births
Source
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Licence
OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required)
Coverage
51 places, 2,043 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

This dataset presents time series on the number of live births weighing less than 2500 grams as a percentage of the total number of live births. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.