Latest update: 25 August 2022

This indicator measures the perinatal Mortality Rate per 1,000 births (stillbirths plus deaths in the first week of life). Find out more about this indicator.

Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate remained at 5.7 per 1,000 births in 2021, the same as in 2020.

Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate – the rate of stillbirths and deaths of babies in the first week of life – has reduced by around 17% in the past decade, from 6.9 per 1000 births in 2011, to 5.7 per 1000 births in 2021. The lowest rate recorded was in 2018 (5.1 per 1,000 births).

In 2021, the local authority with the lowest perinatal mortality rate was Angus, with 1.1 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. The local authority with the highest perinatal mortality rate was Orkney Islands, with 11.6 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. However, due to the small size of the Orkney Islands local authority, a small increase in the number of perinatal deaths can appear as a large increase in the perinatal mortality rate.

In 2021, the NHS Board with the lowest perinatal mortality rate was NHS Highland, with 4.4 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. The NHS Board with the highest perinatal mortality rate was NHS Orkney, with 11.6 perinatal deaths per 1,000 births. However, due to the small size of NHS Orkney, a small increase in the number of perinatal deaths can appear as a large increase in the perinatal mortality rate.

In 2021, Scotland’s perinatal mortality rate was 5.6 per 1,000 births and 5.9 per 1,000 births for males and females respectively.

In 2021, the perinatal mortality rate in Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas was 7.7 per 1,000 births. This compares with 3.9 per 1,000 births in the 20% least deprived areas.