BCPB Home > Benchmarks > Rankings > Performance Indicator 20: Infant Mortality

Performance Indicator 20: Infant Mortality

Where BC Ranks, Provincial Comparison

  
Year

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

Rank

3

1

1

3

1

5

2

1

4

4

Performance Indicator Twenty is based on the number of infants who die in the first year of life. A lower mortality rate gives a better rank.

BC ranked fourth for the infant mortality rate in 2006. Ranks for this indicator exhibit considerable variation from year to year because provincial infant mortality rates are found in a narrow range. Thus, small rate changes can yield large rank changes.

Ranks based on longer-term averages are more stable. BC has the third-lowest and lowest average infant mortality rates among the provinces for the most recent five- and ten-year periods, respectively.

The gap between BC and the worst-ranked province has widened from 21 percent in 1991 to 33 percent in 2006.

Why It's Important
This indicator is a long-established measure, not only of child health, but also of the well-being of a society. It reflects the level of mortality, health status, and health care of a population, and the effectiveness of preventive care and the attention paid to maternal and child health.





>> Other Environment, Health and Society targets and indicators