The Global Health Observatory

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Table
Indicator name:
Births, preterm (number)
Short name:
Preterm births (number)
Data type:
Count
Indicator Id:
7036
Topic:
Risk factors
Rationale:
Globally, prematurity is one of the leading causes of deaths among newborns and children under five years of age. It is also associated with short- and long-term effects, such as poor health and growth, intellectual and mental disabilities and early onset of chronic diseases.
Definition:
The number of newborns born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
Method of estimation:
The absolute numbers of preterm births for each country were estimated by multiplying the estimated preterm birth rate by the live birth estimates from the UN World Population Prospects 2022 revision.
Method of estimation of global and regional aggregates:
The absolute numbers for the regional estimates of preterm birth are the sums of the estimated preterm birth numbers for the countries and areas within each of the corresponding regions. The absolute numbers for the global estimates are the sums of the estimated preterm birth numbers for all regions.
Other possible data sources:
Special studies
Preferred data sources:
Administrative reporting systems
Unit of Measure:
Births
Comments:
For countries and areas with no preterm birth data, predicted preterm birth rate may be lower or higher than the true preterm birth rate. Countries and areas without data are systematically different to those with data, and since the model is trained on countries with data (mostly high-income countries), estimates generated for countries without data inputs should be interpreted with caution. Moreover, these estimates are likely underestimates as the denominator only includes live births and excludes stillbirths.
Contact person email:
morana@who.int
Name:
Allisyn Moran
Links:
Study protocol for WHO and UNICEF estimates of global, regional, and national preterm birth rates for 2010 to 2019 
Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth
Indicator Metadata Registry List
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