Figures

In the Netherlands it is recorded how many babies die each year. This is done first and foremost by the Central Bureau for Statistics, although Perined also concerns itself with the registration of perinatal mortality. The Perined report “Perinatal care in the Netherlands anno 2018” with the most recent figures published at the Perined congress on 27 November 2019 can be read here.

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In summary, for the Netherlands

Fetal mortality (= mortality before birth, for a pregnancy from 22 weeks) = 5 per 1000 births
That means 810 babies per year. 

Neonatal mortality (= mortality up to 28 days after birth, with a gestational age from 24 weeks): 2.9 per 1000 births
That means 468 babies per year. 

Perinatal mortality, according to Dutch standards (= mortality before, during or after birth up to 28 days, if the pregnancy lasts 22 weeks or more): 7.9 per 1000 births.
This means 1278 babies per year.

A terme mortality (= mortality before, during or up to 28 days after birth, for a pregnancy of more than 37 weeks) is 272 babies per year.

The State of Health and Care shows on its website the trends around perinatal mortality in the Netherlands.

The EURO-PERISTAT 2018 research report concludes that the Netherlands has an intermediate position compared to other European countries. In 2015, progress can be seen in reducing perinatal mortality in the Netherlands. This is attributed, among other things, to more intensive cooperation between the professional groups involved, such as general practitioners, obstetricians, gynaecologists, maternity nurses, paediatricians and anaesthesiologists (the entire ‘chain’). The performance of the perinatal audit, in which care providers analyse the care actually provided in a critical, structured manner, also plays an important role.  Finally, progress is devoted to the reduction of risk factors (e.g. smoking during pregnancy) as a focus for prevention work.

Perinatal mortality up to day 28 in 2015

Source: CBS

Perinatal and infant mortality in 2015

Source: CBS

Birth; Key figures

Source: CBS