Country rankings

Preterm Birth Rates by Country

Maldives has the highest Preterm Births in 2020 (12.86 per 100 births), followed by Brazil (11.46 per 100 births) and Bahrain (11.36 per 100 births). Lithuania has the lowest (5.45 per 100 births).

Health57 countries · 1 metricUpdated Apr 25, 2024Original page
2 sources
Preterm BirthsBetter directionWhether a higher or a lower value is better. A green arrow means higher is better, a red arrow means lower is better, and no arrow means neither.More in the glossary →
40 of 235 countries
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Preterm Births, 2020

Darker means higher. Click a place to highlight it.

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All 40 ranked

Highest first.

Distribution Median and middle halfThe median is the middle value: half of places are above it, half below. The middle half is the range holding the central 50% of places.More in the glossary →

Each dot is one country; the lines mark the median and the middle half.

Median
7.05 per 100 births
Middle half 6.15 per 100 births – 8.51 per 100 births
Average
7.64 per 100 births
40 countries
Highest
12.86 per 100 births
Maldives
Lowest
5.45 per 100 births
Lithuania

Over time · 2018–2020

The top 5 in 2020, against the median.

  • Median of all countries
  • Maldives
  • Brazil
  • Bahrain
  • Greece
  • Turkey

Data

Click a column to sort, a row to highlight that place on the charts.

40 countries · # = rank by Preterm Births
#
1Maldives12.86 per 100 births
2Brazil11.46 per 100 births
3Bahrain11.36 per 100 births
4Greece11.05 per 100 births
5Turkey11.01 per 100 births
6Colombia9.71 per 100 births
7Georgia8.97 per 100 births
8Bulgaria8.77 per 100 births
8Andorra8.77 per 100 births
10Argentina8.65 per 100 births
11South Korea8.46 per 100 births
12North Macedonia8.43 per 100 births
13Australia8.35 per 100 births
14Hungary8.11 per 100 births
15Armenia7.9 per 100 births
16Canada7.89 per 100 births
17El Salvador7.78 per 100 births
18Singapore7.38 per 100 births
19Netherlands7.12 per 100 births
20Italy7.06 per 100 births
21Austria7.03 per 100 births
22Malta6.99 per 100 births
23Poland6.96 per 100 births
24Portugal6.94 per 100 births
25Slovenia6.78 per 100 births
26Spain6.76 per 100 births
27Czechia6.7 per 100 births
28Croatia6.63 per 100 births
29Slovakia6.18 per 100 births
30Cuba6.16 per 100 births
31Brunei6.11 per 100 births
32Denmark5.94 per 100 births
33Iceland5.88 per 100 births
34Estonia5.85 per 100 births
35Nicaragua5.83 per 100 births
36Latvia5.67 per 100 births
37Norway5.53 per 100 births
38Finland5.49 per 100 births
39Japan5.48 per 100 births
40Lithuania5.45 per 100 births

What correlates with Preterm Births (2020)?

Pearson r against 1,842 other country metrics sharing at least 24 countries. Ranks are read by standing: a better rank counts as higher, whether rank 1 is the best place on a list or the worst. Correlation is not causation.

Higher together

Places that have a higher Preterm Births tend to score higher on these (or rank better)

  1. C-Section % of DeliveriesC-Section Rates by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 36
    Plot
  2. % of Pop. in Poverty (World Bank)Poverty Rate by Country
    r = +0.72 · very strong · n = 25
    Plot
  3. Income Inequality (Gini Index)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)
    r = +0.70 · very strong · n = 25
    Plot
  4. LDS MissionsLatter-Day Saints (LDS) Population by Country
    r = +0.67 · strong · n = 24
    Plot
  5. Share of National Income Held by the Richest 1%Share of Income Of the Richest One Percent by Country
    r = +0.64 · strong · n = 39
    Plot
  6. Birth Defect RateBirth Defect Rates by Country
    r = +0.63 · strong · n = 40
    Plot

Opposite directions

Places that have a higher Preterm Births tend to score lower on these (or rank worse)

  1. Tertiary Education (age 55-64)Tertiary Education Attainment by Country
    r = −0.76 · very strong · n = 25
    Plot
  2. Tertiary Education, Women Age 55-64Tertiary Education Attainment by Country
    r = −0.75 · very strong · n = 25
    Plot
  3. Quality of Life Rank (US News)Standard of Living by CountryA rank: rank 1 is the best
    r = −0.74 · very strong · n = 34
    Plot
  4. Women’s Employment 2018 to 2022Most Dangerous Countries for Women
    r = −0.73 · very strong · n = 38
    Plot
  5. Web Index ScoreWeb Index by Country
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 24
    Plot
  6. Social Mobility IndexSocial Mobility by Country
    r = −0.72 · very strong · n = 33
    Plot

Quick answers

Which country has the highest Preterm Births?
Maldives has the highest Preterm Births in 2020, at 12.86 per 100 births, followed by Brazil (11.46 per 100 births) and Bahrain (11.36 per 100 births).
Which country has the lowest Preterm Births?
Lithuania has the lowest Preterm Births in 2020, at 5.45 per 100 births.
What is the median Preterm Births across countries?
The median is 7.05 per 100 births across the 40 countries with data in 2020.
Where does this preterm birth rates by country data come from?
Rankodex compiles it from World Population Review and the primary sources it cites: WHO Preterm Birth Analysis - WHO Github; National, regional, and global estimates of preterm birth in 2020, with trends from 2010 - The Lancet.

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