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11 A reduction in the gap in mortality for children under 1 year between routine and manual groups and the population as a whole (England and Wales).
Baseline and trends: Baseline data – 1998 (based on the average of the three years 1997–99). Since the baseline, infant mortality rates have fallen in all groups. However, there has been a widening in the gap in mortality rates between routine and manual groups and the overall population since the baseline, though the gap has fluctuated during the period, narrowing very slightly in the most recent period.
Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (England and Wales)
Read chart description
Refer to notes under data table.
*Using NS-SEC 90 for data up to 2000 and NS-SEC for 2001 and subsequent years' data.
| NS-SEC 90 | NS-SEC† | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-96 | 1995-97 | 1996-98 | Baseline 1997-99 |
1998-2000 | 1999-2001 | 2000-02 | 2001-03 | 2002-04 | 2003-05 | |
| Sole registrations | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 6.8 |
All social groups |
5.9 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| Routine and manual3 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.7 |
| Ratio: routine and manual/all | 1.15 | 1.14 | 1.12 | 1.13 | 1.14 | 1.17 | 1.16 | 1.19 | 1.19 | 1.18 |
|
Read table notes
Notes:
1Figures for live births are a 10 per cent sample coded for father's occupation. †Using NS-SEC 90 for data up to 2000 and NS-SEC for 2001 and subsequent years' data. |
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Definition: Infant deaths (deaths at age under 1) per 1,000 live births, England and Wales. Figures for the ‘all social groups’ and ‘routine and manual’ groups are for live births within marriage and joint registrations only, as social class can be allocated only to those groups where the father’s occupation is identified. Therefore, information on infant mortality by the father’s social class is not available for sole registrations. Although information is sought on the mother’s occupation it is incomplete, hence social class is routinely determined by the father’s occupation. It is intended to monitor trends in all social groups (including sole registrations) – as shown in the table – to check whether the gaps in mortality are narrowing.
The indicator was originally set using manual and non-manual social classes. It has now been re-set using the new National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC). The NS-SEC was introduced in 2001, but comparable data for previous years have been produced using an approximation called the NS-SEC 90. At the highest level, three social groups are identified: managerial and professional, intermediate, and routine and manual.
Data source: Office for National Statistics (data cover England and Wales). Linked file – linking information on birth and death registrations.
Further information
Further breakdowns of the 2005 data by:
- mother's country of birth
- mothers age
- father's social class
- birthweight
are provided in the report: Infant and perinatal mortality by social and biological factors, 2005 in the ONS Health Statistics Quarterly 32, published in November (Winter) 2006. The report is available at: www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/HSQ32.pdf 
Research Evidence:
“Review of the Health Inequalities Infant Mortality PSA Target” (2007)
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_065544
“Tackling Health Inequalities: Status Report on the Programme for Action – 2006 Update of Headline Indicators” www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_062903
“Tackling Health Inequalities: Status Report on the Programme for Action” (2005)
www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/11/76/98/04117698.pdf
“Tackling health inequalities: A Programme for Action” (2003)
www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/01/93/62/04019362.pdf