Fetal mortality rate

The ratio of fetal deaths divided by the sum of the births (the live births + the fetal deaths) in that year.

In the United States, the fetal mortality rate plummeted from 19.2 per 1,000 births in 1950 to 9.2 per 1,000 births in 1980. However, the fetal mortality rate is higher in certain ethnic groups and among mothers with health problems during pregnancy, especially if the mother does not receive adequate personal and prenatal health care.

The fetal mortality rate is considered a good measure of the quality of health care in a country or a medical facility.