Healthcare Access
Birth Defect Rates by Country 2025
Birth Defect Rate (per 1k births)
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Country | Birth Defect Rate 2006 (per 1k births)↓ | Avg Annual Live Births w/ Defects 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Sudan | 82 | 89,997 |
 | Saudi Arabia | 81.3 | 58,108 |
 | Benin | 77.9 | 20,962 |
 | Burkina Faso | 77 | 42,951 |
 | Palestine | 76.6 | 10,105 |
 | United Arab Emirates | 75.9 | 3,114 |
 | Iraq | 75.2 | 61,862 |
 | Tajikistan | 75.2 | 11,205 |
 | Afghanistan | 74.9 | 80,741 |
 | Kuwait | 74.9 | 2,624 |
 | Syria | 74.8 | 37,008 |
 | Oman | 74.8 | 7,032 |
 | Pakistan | 74.3 | 396,920 |
 | Nigeria | 73.5 | 345,753 |
 | Kyrgyzstan | 73.5 | 7,424 |
 | Qatar | 73.4 | 734 |
 | Bahrain | 73.4 | 807 |
 | Jordan | 73.3 | 12,388 |
 | Libya | 73.1 | 10,673 |
 | Tunisia | 73 | 12,857 |
 | Morocco | 72.7 | 56,321 |
 | Yemen | 72.3 | 68,881 |
 | Guinea | 72.1 | 26,300 |
 | DR Congo | 71.7 | 179,639 |
 | Republic of the Congo | 71.7 | 9,965 |
 | Angola | 71.5 | 49,865 |
 | Gabon | 71.5 | 3,432 |
 | Sierra Leone | 71.3 | 16,734 |
 | Djibouti | 70.8 | 1,771 |
 | Laos | 67.5 | 13,299 |
 | Algeria | 66.9 | 50,207 |
 | Ghana | 66.6 | 43,460 |
 | Equatorial Guinea | 65.9 | 1,318 |
 | Egypt | 65.3 | 109,209 |
 | Liberia | 64.9 | 11,155 |
 | Iran | 64.5 | 102,681 |
 | Cambodia | 64.5 | 30,905 |
 | Niger | 64.4 | 40,232 |
 | India | 64.3 | 1,613,502 |
 | Azerbaijan | 63.1 | 6,753 |
 | Togo | 63 | 11,461 |
 | Lebanon | 63 | 4,350 |
 | Ivory Coast | 62.7 | 36,418 |
 | Gambia | 62.5 | 3,186 |
 | Sao Tome and Principe | 62.5 | 375 |
 | Sri Lanka | 62.2 | 20,652 |
 | Turkey | 62 | 88,288 |
 | Mali | 61.4 | 35,793 |
 | Senegal | 61.4 | 22,400 |
 | Guinea-Bissau | 61.4 | 3,375 |
 | Bahamas | 61.2 | 367 |
 | Uganda | 60.9 | 74,468 |
 | Cameroon | 60.8 | 33,921 |
 | Maldives | 60.8 | 670 |
 | Zambia | 60.6 | 27,130 |
 | Tanzania | 60.5 | 84,344 |
 | Timor-Leste | 60.3 | 140 |
 | Central African Republic | 60.1 | 8,661 |
 | Thailand | 59.9 | 70,045 |
 | Nepal | 59.9 | 49,180 |
 | Indonesia | 59.3 | 263,154 |
 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 59.3 | 44 |
 | San Marino | 59.2 | 17 |
 | Bangladesh | 58.6 | 251,221 |
 | Jamaica | 58.6 | 3,163 |
 | Myanmar | 58.5 | 68,587 |
 | Haiti | 58.4 | 14,942 |
 | Bhutan | 58.4 | 4,378 |
 | Chad | 57.7 | 22,857 |
 | Antigua and Barbuda | 57.4 | 57 |
 | Mozambique | 57.3 | 45,526 |
 | Madagascar | 57.3 | 39,903 |
 | Brazil | 57.2 | 192,260 |
 | Saint Lucia | 57 | 171 |
 | Ecuador | 56.8 | 17,497 |
 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 56.8 | 115 |
 | Grenada | 56.7 | 113 |
 | Burundi | 56.6 | 16,066 |
 | Malawi | 56.3 | 29,567 |
 | Malaysia | 56 | 29,214 |
 | Zimbabwe | 56 | 25,694 |
 | Barbados | 56 | 168 |
 | Dominica | 56 | 56 |
 | Kenya | 55.8 | 60,283 |
 | Dominican Republic | 55.7 | 11,189 |
 | Colombia | 55.5 | 54,347 |
 | Trinidad and Tobago | 55.5 | 944 |
 | Bolivia | 55.4 | 14,779 |
 | Mauritania | 55.2 | 6,620 |
 | Moldova | 55.2 | 2,760 |
 | Vietnam | 55.1 | 87,333 |
 | Turkmenistan | 55.1 | 6,998 |
 | Romania | 55 | 12,825 |
 | Rwanda | 55 | 17,598 |
 | Greece | 55 | 5,280 |
 | Belarus | 55 | 5,005 |
 | Paraguay | 55 | 9,342 |
 | Brunei | 54.7 | 382 |
 | Peru | 54.6 | 33,090 |
 | Comoros | 54.6 | 1,528 |
 | Ukraine | 54.5 | 21,800 |
 | Honduras | 54.5 | 11,109 |
 | Papua New Guinea | 54.5 | 9,762 |
 | Ethiopia | 54.4 | 154,944 |
 | South Korea | 54.4 | 33,220 |
 | Somalia | 54.4 | 26,169 |
 | Eritrea | 54.4 | 8,270 |
 | Singapore | 54.2 | 2,601 |
 | Belize | 54.2 | 325 |
 | Uzbekistan | 54.1 | 28,836 |
 | North Korea | 54.1 | 20,925 |
 | Kazakhstan | 54.1 | 14,229 |
 | Cape Verde | 54.1 | 702 |
 | Serbia | 53.9 | 6,474 |
 | Mongolia | 53.9 | 3,053 |
 | Botswana | 53.9 | 2,639 |
 | Lesotho | 53.9 | 3,663 |
 | Guyana | 53.9 | 915 |
 | Montenegro | 53.9 | 6,474 |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 53.8 | 2,100 |
 | Namibia | 53.8 | 3,387 |
 | Seychelles | 53.8 | 162 |
 | Cyprus | 53.7 | 590 |
 | Suriname | 53.7 | 430 |
 | Panama | 53.6 | 3,268 |
 | Georgia | 53.6 | 3,002 |
 | Eswatini | 53.6 | 1,714 |
 | Mauritius | 53.5 | 1,017 |
 | South Africa | 53.4 | 58,962 |
 | Guatemala | 53.4 | 21,821 |
 | Armenia | 53.4 | 1,922 |
 | North Macedonia | 53.4 | 1,336 |
 | El Salvador | 53.1 | 8,870 |
 | Ireland | 53 | 3,021 |
 | Mexico | 52.9 | 121,464 |
 | Philippines | 52.9 | 109,239 |
 | Poland | 52.9 | 19,573 |
 | Nicaragua | 52.9 | 9,144 |
 | Albania | 52.9 | 3,050 |
 | Chile | 52.7 | 15,125 |
 | Uruguay | 52.6 | 3,051 |
 | Malta | 52.6 | 263 |
 | Argentina | 52.5 | 37,976 |
 | Venezuela | 52.4 | 30,212 |
 | Tonga | 52.2 | 104 |
 | Solomon Islands | 52.1 | 938 |
 | Vanuatu | 52.1 | 313 |
 | Samoa | 52.1 | 208 |
 | Tuvalu | 52.1 | 16 |
 | Lithuania | 52 | 1,716 |
 | Liechtenstein | 51.9 | 24 |
 | Japan | 51.7 | 61,668 |
 | Luxembourg | 51.7 | 259 |
 | Iceland | 51.6 | 206 |
 | Andorra | 51.6 | 52 |
 | Costa Rica | 51.5 | 4,739 |
 | Micronesia | 51.5 | 206 |
 | Niue | 51.5 | 2 |
 | Monaco | 51.4 | 26 |
 | Bulgaria | 51.3 | 3,179 |
 | Kiribati | 51.3 | 154 |
 | Palau | 51.3 | 13 |
 | Cook Islands | 51.3 | 23 |
 | China | 51.2 | 963,997 |
 | Fiji | 51.2 | 1,024 |
 | Nauru | 51.2 | 12 |
 | Latvia | 51.1 | 920 |
 | Estonia | 51 | 612 |
 | Slovakia | 50.7 | 2,789 |
 | Croatia | 50.4 | 2,721 |
 | Hungary | 48.9 | 4,348 |
 | Israel | 48.5 | 6,106 |
 | Netherlands | 48 | 8,399 |
 | Portugal | 47.9 | 5,413 |
 | United States | 47.8 | 182,786 |
 | Cuba | 47.2 | 6,329 |
 | New Zealand | 46.7 | 2,473 |
 | Denmark | 46.5 | 2,835 |
 | Slovenia | 46.3 | 788 |
 | Norway | 45.6 | 2,417 |
 | Canada | 45.5 | 15,545 |
 | Sweden | 45.1 | 3,382 |
 | Czechia | 44.9 | 4,043 |
 | Belgium | 44.6 | 4,552 |
 | Germany | 43.8 | 30,543 |
 | United Kingdom | 43.8 | 28,602 |
 | Finland | 43.8 | 2,276 |
 | Spain | 43.4 | 15,586 |
 | Italy | 43.2 | 21,838 |
 | Russia | 42.9 | 52,721 |
 | Switzerland | 42.5 | 2,763 |
 | Australia | 41.7 | 10,387 |
 | Austria | 41.6 | 2,956 |
 | France | 39.7 | 29,084 |
- The estimated rate of heart defects was set by the March of Dimes at 7.9/1000 for every country. This rate is expected to diversify as more data becomes available and more countries implement preventative measures.
- Birth defects are also known in the medical field as congenital disorders, congenital abnormalities, or congenital malformations.
- More than 7,000 possible birth defects have been identified, varying in severity from inconsequential to fatal.
- The most common severe congenital disorders are heart/cardiovascular defects, neural tube defects, hemoglobin disorders (thalassemia and sickle-cell disease), Down syndrome, and Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency.
- The likelihood of birth defects is influenced by multiple factors, including genetics, socioeconomics and demographics, and environmental factors such as maternal illnesses and drug use.
- Many congenital disorders are preventable via methods such as vaccinations, proper nutrition, and adequate folic acid or iodine intake during pregnancy.
- Congenital disorders vary in severity. The frequency of the most severe disorders is directly related to a country’s overall development. According to March of Dimes, 94% of the births with serious birth defects occur in low- and middle-income countries, as do 95% of the deaths from such defects.
- According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 240,000 newborns die worldwide within 28 days of birth every year due to congenital disorders. Congenital disorders cause a further 170,000 deaths of children between the ages of 1 month and 5 years.
- Besides poverty, reasons for the increased rates of severe birth defects in poor countries include (1) reduced availability and quality of maternal and child health services; (2) increased frequency of consanguineous marriages; (3) higher percentage of older mothers; and (4) higher concentration of a particular gene combination that boosts the chance of surviving malaria (hence its prevalence), but also increases the likelihood of sickle cell and thalassemia disorders.
- Mortality Rate data shown is the rate of deaths due to congenital birth disorders in children under 5 years of age per 100k individuals in the population.
