Preterm birth in Americas (WHO region)
Americas (WHO region): Preterm birth was 1.27 million in 2020. ▼ Falling
Latest (2020)
1.27 million
Change on year
down 2.0%
Rank
11th
of 17 groups
All-time high
1.38 million
in 2010
All-time low
1.27 million
in 2020
Years of data
11
2010–2020
Preterm birth in Americas (WHO region), 2010–2020
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Americas (WHO region) recorded 1.27 million for preterm birth in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 8.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, preterm birth in Americas (WHO region) peaked at 1.38 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 1.27 million, in 2020.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.35 million | 1.29 million | 1.38 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.27 million | 1.27 million | 1.27 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near Americas (WHO region)
- 8 United States 366,225 compare
- 9 Brazil 310,651 compare
- 10 Philippines 190,462 compare
- 11 Tanzania 189,802 compare
- 12 Uganda 164,620 compare
- 13 South Africa 154,850 compare
- 14 Türkiye 139,278 compare
More health data for Americas (WHO region)
- Measles - number of reported cases 12,380 (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases 24,640 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases 385 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases 72 (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases 23 (2025)
- Overweight among adults, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) 68.1% (2024)
- Obesity among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age > +2 standard 19.7% (2024)
- Underweight among adults, BMI < 18.5 kg/m2 (age-standardized estimate) 2.3% (2024)
- Number of under-five deaths 168,267 (2024)
- Thinness among children and adolescents, BMI-for-age < -2 standard 1.9% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is preterm birth in Americas (WHO region)?
- Preterm birth in Americas (WHO region) was 1.27 million in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest preterm birth recorded in Americas (WHO region)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.38 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest preterm birth recorded in Americas (WHO region)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.27 million in 2020.
- How does Americas (WHO region) rank for preterm birth?
- Americas (WHO region) ranks 11th out of 17 groups with data for 2020.
- Is preterm birth rising or falling in Americas (WHO region)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Americas (WHO region) data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Preterm birth (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).