Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region)

South-East Asia (WHO region): Preterm birth was 4.07 million in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
4.07 million
Change on year
down 1.7%
Rank
5th
of 17 groups
All-time high
4.62 million
in 2010
All-time low
4.07 million
in 2020
Years of data
11
2010–2020

Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region), 2010–2020

01.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M2010201520202010: 4.6M2011: 4.6M2012: 4.5M2013: 4.5M2014: 4.4M2015: 4.3M2016: 4.3M2017: 4.2M2018: 4.2M2019: 4.1M2020: 4.1M

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

The most recent figure for preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region) is 4.07 million, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.

That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region) peaked at 4.62 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 4.07 million, in 2020.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.

Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region), year by year

Annual values for Preterm birth (number) in South-East Asia (WHO region), 2010 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2010 4.62 million
2011 4.58 million -0.9%
2012 4.53 million -1.1%
2013 4.48 million -1.1%
2014 4.36 million -2.7%
2015 4.34 million -0.6%
2016 4.32 million -0.4%
2017 4.23 million -2.0%
2018 4.22 million -0.3%
2019 4.14 million -1.9%
2020 4.07 million -1.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.38 million 4.14 million 4.62 million 10
2020s 4.07 million 4.07 million 4.07 million 1

Countries ranked near South-East Asia (WHO region)

  1. 2 Pakistan 913,988 compare
  2. 3 Nigeria 774,061 compare
  3. 4 China 752,855 compare
  4. 5 Ethiopia 495,880 compare
  5. 6 Bangladesh 488,608 compare
  6. 7 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 487,473 compare
  7. 8 United States of America 366,225 compare

See the full ranking of 120 places →

More health data for South-East Asia (WHO region)

All data for South-East Asia (WHO region) →

Frequently asked questions

What is preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region)?
Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region) was 4.07 million in 2020, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest preterm birth recorded in South-East Asia (WHO region)?
The highest recorded value was 4.62 million in 2010.
What is the lowest preterm birth recorded in South-East Asia (WHO region)?
The lowest recorded value was 4.07 million in 2020.
How does South-East Asia (WHO region) rank for preterm birth?
South-East Asia (WHO region) ranks 5th out of 17 groups with data for 2020.
Is preterm birth rising or falling in South-East Asia (WHO region)?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South-East Asia (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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region). Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/preterm-birth-number/south-east-asia-who-region/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/preterm-birth-number/south-east-asia-who-region/">Preterm birth in South-East Asia (WHO region)</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Preterm birth (number)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
120 places, 1,320 data points, 2010–2020
Last refreshed