This page contains information about the different types of baby death and pregnancy loss and the most recent statistics available for each.
Information is collected and recorded in various ways for the different types of baby death and pregnancy loss, which is why some statistics are more up to date than others, some do not cover all of the UK and why there can be uncertainty around the numbers for some types of loss.
Types of baby loss and pregnancy loss:
Stillbirth
In the UK, a stillbirth is defined as: a baby who dies before birth after 24 completed weeks of pregnancy.
In 2021, there were 2,866 stillbirths at a rate of 4.1 stillbirths per 1,000 total births for the whole of the UK (source: ONS).
That means for the UK in 2021, there was 1 stillbirth for every 243 births. Find out more about how this data is collected.
Find out more about how the UK and Devolved Nations' stillbirth rates have changed over time.
In many other countries, stillbirth is defined a baby who dies before birth after 28 completed weeks of pregnancy, and this is the definition that the World Health Organisation uses. This is one of the challenges in comparing stillbirth rates between other countries and the UK.
Neonatal Death
In the UK, a neonatal death is defined as: the death of a baby within 28 days after they are born.
In 2021, there were 2,004 neonatal deaths at a rate of 2.9 deaths per 1,000 live births for the whole of the UK (source: ONS).
That means for the UK in 2021, there was 1 neonatal death for every 347 births. Find out more about how this data is collected.
Find out more about how the UK and Devolved Nations' neonatal death rates have changed over time.
Miscarriage
In the UK, a miscarriage is defined as: the death of a baby (or fetus or embryo) in the womb during pregnancy, up until 23 weeks and 6 days' gestation.
We estimate that that there may have been over 100,000 miscarriages in England in 2021, but there is a lot of uncertainty around these numbers (source: Sands and Tommy's Joint Policy Unit).
However, due to the lack of reporting of miscarriages, it is very likely that this underestimates the true number of miscarriages.
Find out more about how this number was estimated and the uncertainties involved.
Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR)
Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR), also referred to as TOPFA (Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Anomaly), are ways in which we refer to the medical interventions that result in a pregnancy being ended due to medical reasons.
In 2021, there were 3,556 pregnancies terminated for medical reasons in England, Wales and Scotland (sources: ONS, Public Health Scotland).
TFMR is not recorded in the same way in Northern Ireland, which is why it's not possible to state an accurate figure for the whole of the UK.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), also referred to as SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy), is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant where no cause is found after detailed post-mortem examination.
In the UK, an infant is defined as a person less than 1 year old. SIDS can occur in children between 1 and 2 years old, and this may be referred to as 'SUDC' (Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood).
In 2020, there were 168 unexplained infant deaths in the whole of the UK, a rate of 0.25 deaths per 1,000 live births (source: Lullaby Trust).
That means for the UK in 2021, there was 1 SIDS death for every 4,000 births.
The Lullaby Trust has more detailed information and statistics around SIDS.