Infant Mortality Rate is defined as the number of live-born infants who die before their first birthday per 1000 live births. Which of the following options matches that definition?

• A. The number of live-born infants who die before their first birthday per 1000 live births
• B. The number of infants who die before age 2 per 1000 births
• C. The number of births per 1000 population
• D. The number of infants born alive per 1000 population

Answer: (A)

Infant mortality rate measures the risk of a baby dying during the first year of life and is expressed per 1,000 live births. This is calculated by counting the number of deaths of live-born infants before their first birthday in a given period and dividing by the number of live births in that period, then multiplying by 1,000. The description that matches this definition is precisely that: it specifies deaths of live-born infants before their first birthday per 1,000 live births. The other descriptions describe different concepts: deaths before age two would not be infant mortality, and births per population describe birth rates (fertility) rather than infant survival.