Infant Mortality Rate: Estonia

Analysis# Estonia Infant Mortality Rate Estonia's infant mortality rate reached 1.5 per 1,000 births in 2024, matching its all-time low. This represents a dramatic 94.8% decline from the 1960 peak of 29 per 1,000 births. Over six decades, Estonia transformed from a nation with mortality rates significantly above global averages into one of Europe's healthiest countries for newborns. The most striking shift occurred between 1960 and the early 2000s, when rapid improvements in healthcare access and prenatal care drove steep declines. Recent years show continued, steady progress: the rate fell from 2.4 in 2015 to 1.5 in 2024, dropping approximately 0.1 points annually since 2018. Estonia's trajectory suggests the nation has nearly reached a plateau at the lower end of the global spectrum, with further reductions likely requiring advances in medical technology rather than systemic healthcare expansion.