Infant mortality stable for ten years after decades of decline

In 2016, 2,900 children under one year of age died in France, or 3.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. This rate has fallen sharply throughout the 20th century and has remained stable since 2005.

Infant mortality is concentrated in the early days of life: half the children who died before their first birthday lived less than one week.

Infant mortality is highest in the overseas departments. France ranks in the average of the European Union countries.