Infant mortality in Bangladesh 1955-2020
In the early 1950s, the infant mortality rate in the area of present-day Bangladesh was estimated to be 211 deaths per thousand live births, meaning that more than two of every ten babies born in these years would not survive past their first birthday. While infant mortality would decline steadily throughout most of the late-20th century, infant mortality rates would briefly spike in the early 1970s, as a result of the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, the famine of 1974, and the transition period into independence. However, the decline in Bangladesh's infant mortality rate would largely resume upon its pre-war trajectory from the late 1970s onwards, and continue to decline well into the 21st century. As Bangladesh continues to see improvements in access to healthcare and nutrition, it is estimated in 2020, that for every thousand children born in Bangladesh, over 97 percent will live beyond the age of one year.