Study finds Mexico’s infant mortality rate stalled from 2014 to 2023

Mexico made little progress in reducing infant mortality from 2014 through 2023, according to a study published in Sage Open Pediatrics. The findings matter because many deaths clustered around birth and the first month of life, a period when timely, coordinated medical care can make the greatest difference, the researchers said.

The study was co-led by Genny Carrillo, MD, of the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, with colleagues from a Mexican hospital, university and national government agency. Carrillo said the results point to health system problems that affected mothers and newborns, including fragmented care and uneven access.

The researchers reviewed 224,212 deaths of infants younger than 1 recorded in a Mexican national database. They compared annual infant deaths with official live-birth totals and examined patterns across Mexico’s 32 states, including causes of death, place of residence, insurance coverage and whether medical staff were present when the infant died.

Deaths concentrated near birth

The team found that most infant deaths occurred during the neonatal period, the first month of life, or around the time of birth. According to the study, leading causes included premature birth, blood infections and other conditions affecting newborns.

The researchers said that pattern suggests some deaths may have been preventable with stronger care during pregnancy, delivery and the immediate newborn period. Carrillo said infant survival reflects more than medical treatment at the bedside; it also shows how well a health system serves pregnant women and babies.

Male infants represented a higher share of deaths than female infants, the study found. The pattern remained after researchers accounted for differences in live births by sex and appeared across years and most causes of death.

Rural gaps and urban “medical deserts”

The study found higher infant death rates in rural areas overall. Infants in smaller towns had less access to medical care at the time of death and were far less likely to receive an autopsy, according to the researchers.

Rural deaths also appeared more likely to be assigned vague “external causes,” which the team said may reflect both hazardous conditions and inconsistent death investigations. At the same time, the study found that some cities had infant mortality rates as high as, or higher than, rural areas.

Carrillo attributed that urban finding to neighborhood-level gaps in care, including poor, crowded or isolated areas where families may live near major hospitals but still lack practical access to services. She said national averages and counts of hospitals can miss those local shortages.

Insurance and paperwork did not translate into lower deaths

The researchers included social security insurance coverage, including IMSS, Mexico’s main public health insurance program. The study found that more pregnant women had insurance, but Carrillo said coverage did not ensure timely or high-quality care for poor and vulnerable groups, including Indigenous women, who face structural barriers and discrimination.

By 2023, doctors or medical personnel were reported as present for 99.5% of infant deaths, according to the study. Because the overall infant mortality rate did not decline, the researchers said that rise likely reflects administrative or reporting changes rather than better survival.

Carrillo also said the team did not find seasonal or weather-driven changes in infant deaths. She said that finding points away from short-term explanations such as temperature spikes or flu outbreaks and toward poverty and health system weaknesses.

The research team said Mexico could reduce infant deaths by strengthening a continuous chain of care from early prenatal visits through safe delivery and newborn support. The authors pointed to approaches used in parts of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where coordinated maternal and newborn care has helped lower infant mortality.

This story draws on original reporting from Medical Xpress.