J Korean Med Assoc.  2017 Jul;60(7):588-597. 10.5124/jkma.2017.60.7.588.

Infant, maternal, and perinatal mortality statistics in the Republic of Korea, 2014

• Vital Statistics Division, Statistics Korea
• Shin HY
• Lee JY
• Song J
• Lee S
• Lee J
• Lim B
• Kim H
• Huh S

• KMID: 2386600
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2017.60.7.588

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze infant, maternal, perinatal, and fetal mortality statistics in the Republic of Korea (Korea), 2014. It was based on the open-access data available from the Statistics Korea website (http://kostat.go.kr/portal/eng/index.action). Recent trends in these vital statistics were also examined. The results of this study constitute a descriptive presentation and analysis of the national data. The number of infant deaths was 1,305 out of 435,435 live births in 2014, and the infant mortality rate was 3.0. The number of maternal deaths was 48. The maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births was 11.0. The maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 women of child-bearing age (15 to 49 years old) was 0.37. The number of perinatal deaths was 1,365, and the perinatal mortality rate was 3.1. The number of fetal deaths was 5,317. The fetal mortality rate was 12.1. The trends in those vital statistics in recent years were consistent except for a few findings, including a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio of pregnant women 40 years old and older and a change in the proportions of the causes of infant death, with a decrease in mortality due to neonatal respiratory distress and an increase in mortality due to bacterial sepsis. Although these vital statistics were generally consistent, some aspects varied by year. Pregnant women less than 20 years old should be monitored more intensively for their babies' health. Our findings can serve as basic data supporting the establishment of health policies by the Korean government.

Keyword

Cause of death; Fetal mortality; Infant mortality; Maternal mortality; Perinatal mortality

MeSH Terms

Cause of Death
Female
Fetal Death
Fetal Mortality
Health Policy
Humans
Infant Death
Infant Mortality
Infant*
Korea
Live Birth
Maternal Death
Maternal Mortality
Mortality
Perinatal Death
Perinatal Mortality*
Pregnant Women
Republic of Korea*
Sepsis
Vital Statistics

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 Number of live births and infant mortality rate from 2004 to 2014, Republic of Korea

• 

  Figure 2 Maternal mortality ratio by maternal age from 2012 to 2014, Republic of Korea.

• 

  Figure 3 Perinatal deaths according to gestational age in 2014, Republic of Korea.

• 

  Figure 4 Perinatal mortality rate according to birth weight in 2014, Republic of Korea.

• 

  Figure 5 Fetal mortality rate according to maternal age in 2014, Republic of Korea.

Reference

1. Act on the Registration, etc. of Family Relationship. 2016. 05. 29. No. 14169.

2. Act on Funeral Services, etc. 2013. 08. 06. No. 11998.

3. World Health Organization. International statistical classification of diseases and related health problems 10th revision [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization;2016. cited 2016 Feb 9. Available from: http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2016/en.

4. Statistics Korea. Korean standard classification of diseases and causes of death (KCD-6) [Internet]. Daejeon: Statistics Korea;2011. cited 2016 Mar 9. Available from: http://kostat.go.kr/portal/eng/index.action.

5. Barfield WD. Standard terminology for fetal, infant, and perinatal deaths. Pediatrics. 2011; 128:177–181.

6. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Perinatal mortality [Internet]. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;2007. cited 2017 Apr 11. Available from: https://stats.oecd.org/glossary/detail.asp?ID=2038.

7. World Health Organization. Neonatal and perinatal mortality: country, regional and global estimates [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization;cited 2017 Apr 11. Available from: http://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43444.

8. Seo K, Won HJ, Cho JS, Park YW, Kim SK, Lee K. Fetal growth restriction was a major cause of increased perinatal mortalities of postterm pregnancies. Korean J ObstetGynecol. 2003; 46:2033–2038.

9. Yeom W, Paik ES, An JJ, Oh SY, Choi SJ, Roh CR, Kim JH. Clinical characteristics and perinatal outcome of fetal hydrops. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2015; 58:90–97.

10. MacDorman MF, Gregory EC. Fetal and perinatal mortality: United States, 2013. Natl Vital Stat Rep. 2015; 64:1–24.