Preterm birth rate (per 100 live births) by country
Countries reporting
101
Highest
16.16
Bangladesh
Lowest
4.1
Serbia
Median
7.8
Years covered
11
2010–2020
Data points
1,320
What the numbers show
Preterm birth rate (per 100 live births) is currently reported for 101 countries. The highest value is 16.16 in Bangladesh; the lowest is 4.1 in Serbia.
The median across all reporting countries is 7.8, and the mean is 8.18.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 4.
Over the past decade 55 countries rose and 46 fell. The largest increase was in North Macedonia (up 39.3%), and the largest decrease in Czechia (down 18.2%).
Preterm birth rate: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangladesh | 16.16 | 2020 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 2 | Malawi | 14.51 | 2020 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 3 | Pakistan | 14.36 | 2020 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 4 | Palestine | 13.15 | 2020 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 5 | India | 13.04 | 2020 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 7 | Ethiopia | 12.91 | 2020 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 8 | Democratic Republic of Congo | 12.4 | 2020 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 9 | Cote d'Ivoire | 11.73 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 10 | Greece | 11.56 | 2020 | up 3.6% | flat |
| 11 | Guyana | 11.55 | 2020 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 12 | Bahrain | 11.32 | 2020 | up 14.2% | rising |
| 13 | Nepal | 11.2 | 2020 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 14 | Brazil | 11.15 | 2020 | down 6.8% | falling |
| 15 | Turkey | 11.01 | 2020 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 16 | Botswana | 10.78 | 2020 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 17 | Guatemala | 10.48 | 2020 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 18 | United States | 9.98 | 2020 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 19 | Uganda | 9.95 | 2020 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 20 | Nigeria | 9.92 | 2020 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 21 | Maldives | 9.84 | 2020 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 22 | Rwanda | 9.35 | 2020 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 23 | Uruguay | 9.3 | 2020 | up 2.4% | flat |
| 24 | Papua New Guinea | 9.05 | 2020 | down 0.6% | flat |
| 25 | Colombia | 9.02 | 2020 | up 24.2% | rising |
| 26 | Argentina | 8.86 | 2020 | up 4.2% | flat |
| 27 | Chile | 8.81 | 2020 | up 18.3% | rising |
| 28 | Kenya | 8.76 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 29 | Lebanon | 8.74 | 2020 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 30 | Tunisia | 8.69 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 31 | Jordan | 8.68 | 2020 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 32 | Vietnam | 8.59 | 2020 | down 0.4% | flat |
| 33 | Laos | 8.52 | 2020 | down 0.2% | flat |
| 34 | Luxembourg | 8.51 | 2020 | up 1.4% | flat |
| 35 | Romania | 8.45 | 2020 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 36 | Tanzania | 8.39 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 37 | South Korea | 8.36 | 2020 | up 33.4% | rising |
| 38 | Germany | 8.36 | 2020 | down 4.5% | flat |
| 39 | Hungary | 8.33 | 2020 | down 7.1% | falling |
| 40 | Venezuela | 8.27 | 2020 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 41 | Belgium | 8.21 | 2020 | up 2.2% | flat |
| 42 | Australia | 8.19 | 2020 | up 3.6% | flat |
| 43 | Singapore | 8.19 | 2020 | down 11.3% | falling |
| 44 | United Kingdom | 8.05 | 2020 | up 11.4% | rising |
| 45 | Ghana | 8 | 2020 | down 0.1% | flat |
| 46 | El Salvador | 7.99 | 2020 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 47 | Bulgaria | 7.97 | 2020 | up 12.2% | rising |
| 48 | Andorra | 7.94 | 2020 | up 2.7% | flat |
| 49 | Canada | 7.93 | 2020 | up 2.0% | flat |
| 50 | Libya | 7.82 | 2020 | down 0.0% | flat |
| 51 | Paraguay | 7.81 | 2020 | up 3.0% | flat |
| 52 | Georgia | 7.8 | 2020 | up 23.6% | rising |
| 53 | Sri Lanka | 7.8 | 2020 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 54 | Portugal | 7.75 | 2020 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 55 | Philippines | 7.7 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 56 | Armenia | 7.68 | 2020 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 57 | Zambia | 7.66 | 2020 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 58 | New Zealand | 7.53 | 2020 | up 0.1% | flat |
| 59 | Italy | 7.5 | 2020 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 60 | Iran | 7.47 | 2020 | down 0.3% | flat |
| 61 | Malta | 7.39 | 2020 | down 2.2% | flat |
| 62 | Belarus | 7.33 | 2020 | down 2.1% | flat |
| 63 | Slovenia | 7.31 | 2020 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 64 | Poland | 7.29 | 2020 | up 7.3% | rising |
| 65 | Thailand | 7.27 | 2020 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 66 | Austria | 7.27 | 2020 | down 13.5% | falling |
| 67 | Ecuador | 7.16 | 2020 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 68 | France | 7.15 | 2020 | down 2.8% | flat |
| 69 | Spain | 7.09 | 2020 | down 10.1% | falling |
| 70 | Mexico | 7.04 | 2020 | up 1.2% | flat |
| 71 | Mozambique | 7.03 | 2020 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 72 | Ireland | 7.01 | 2020 | up 14.7% | rising |
| 73 | Switzerland | 6.96 | 2020 | down 4.7% | flat |
| 74 | Benin | 6.92 | 2020 | up 0.8% | flat |
| 75 | Czechia | 6.89 | 2020 | down 18.2% | falling |
| 76 | Qatar | 6.86 | 2020 | up 0.3% | flat |
| 77 | Gabon | 6.85 | 2020 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 78 | Netherlands | 6.75 | 2020 | down 8.0% | falling |
| 79 | Peru | 6.68 | 2020 | up 0.5% | flat |
| 80 | Croatia | 6.45 | 2020 | up 9.3% | rising |
| 81 | Iceland | 6.24 | 2020 | up 8.2% | rising |
| 82 | Cambodia | 6.21 | 2020 | up 0.7% | flat |
| 83 | Slovakia | 6.15 | 2020 | down 0.5% | flat |
| 84 | China | 6.15 | 2020 | up 0.6% | flat |
| 85 | North Macedonia | 6.13 | 2020 | up 39.3% | rising |
| 86 | Mali | 6.12 | 2020 | up 0.2% | flat |
| 87 | Mongolia | 6.02 | 2020 | up 0.0% | flat |
| 88 | Russia | 6 | 2020 | up 4.7% | flat |
| 89 | Denmark | 5.98 | 2020 | down 7.7% | falling |
| 90 | Cuba | 5.98 | 2020 | up 1.6% | flat |
| 91 | Brunei | 5.88 | 2020 | down 11.7% | falling |
| 92 | Estonia | 5.81 | 2020 | down 3.7% | flat |
| 93 | Nicaragua | 5.8 | 2020 | down 1.3% | flat |
| 94 | Latvia | 5.58 | 2020 | down 4.6% | flat |
| 95 | Japan | 5.57 | 2020 | down 3.1% | flat |
| 96 | Finland | 5.56 | 2020 | down 1.2% | flat |
| 97 | Norway | 5.53 | 2020 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 98 | Kazakhstan | 5.48 | 2020 | down 0.8% | flat |
| 99 | Lithuania | 5.46 | 2020 | down 3.8% | flat |
| 100 | Sweden | 5.4 | 2020 | down 6.6% | falling |
| 101 | Moldova | 4.96 | 2020 | up 0.4% | flat |
| 102 | Serbia | 4.1 | 2020 | up 0.6% | flat |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- South-East Asia (WHO region) 12.11
- Lower-middle income (World Bank) 10.95
- Eastern Mediterranean (WHO region) 10.85
- UN_Asia 10.39
- Low income (World Bank) 10.36
- South Africa 12.96
- Africa (WHO region) 10.07
- World 9.93
- UN_Africa 9.91
- UN_Northern_America 9.79
- Americas (WHO region) 9.14
- UN_Latin_America_Caribbean 8.87