Malta has a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies, according to a new report, say the Associated Press. This figure applies to the United States, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, with Latvia being slightly higher at 6 per 1,000.
In the analysis of global infant mortality, Japan had the lowest newborn death rate at 1.8 per 1,000. Four countries tied for second place with 2 per 1,000 - the Czech Republic, Finland, Iceland and Norway.
The highest rates globally were in Africa and South Asia. Liberia ranked the worst, with a newborn death rate of 65 out of 1,000 live births.
In the United States, researchers noted that the population is more racially and economically diverse than many other industrialized countries, making it more challenging to provide culturally appropriate health care. Among U.S. blacks, there are 9 deaths per 1,000 live births, closer to rates in developing nations than to those in the industrialized world. About half a million U.S. babies are born prematurely each year, data show. African-American babies are twice as likely as white infants to be premature, to have a low birth weight, and to die at birth, according to Save the Children.
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