Perinatal mortality, namely the proportion of children born stillborn or who died in their first week of life, increased again in France in 2024, to exceed 11 births per 1,000, according to a study published Tuesday, July 7, 2026 by the statistical services of the social ministries.
Gestational age, type of pregnancy, and maternal age have a significant impact on perinatal mortality.
Out of a total of 661,822 births, 7,398 children were stillborn, or born alive but died within their first seven days of life, and the perinatal mortality rate was 11.2 per 1,000, according to these calculations based on hospital data. This proportion has been increasing since 2021, and particularly in 2024, after fluctuating between 2014 and 2021 around 10.5 per 1,000", observes the Directorate for Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees).
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It is therefore higher in cases of prematurity (841 per 1,000 per perinatal deaths result from premature birth) or multiple births, or when the mother is under 20 years old (18.1 per 1,000) or 40 years old and over (17.6 per 1,000). But " These risk factors and their evolution only partially explain the increase in perinatal mortality since 2014.", emphasize the statistical services of the social ministries.
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The region of residence and socio-economic conditions also play a role.
The perinatal mortality rate thus rose to 12 per 1,000 in 2024 in municipalities containing the fifth of the most disadvantaged population, compared to 9.5 in those containing the least disadvantaged.
Another illustration of these inequalities: the perinatal mortality rate was 2.3 times higher in Guadeloupe (21 per thousand) than in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (9.3 per thousand). Overall, the overseas departments and regions recorded an average rate 601 per thousand higher than that of metropolitan France.
Perinatal health, from pregnancy to postpartum, has been the subject of increasing concern in recent years with the deterioration of several indicators, notably mortality, for which France ranks near the bottom of the European Union countries after having been a top performer in the 1990s.
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