Malta had the highest incidence of infant mortality rate in Europe in 2017, Eurostat figures show.

The number of deaths per 1,000 births in Malta was 6.7, official data shows.

Around 18,200 children died before reaching one year of age In the 28 EU countries in 2017, Eurostat statistics showed, which was equivalent to an infant mortality rate of 3.6 deaths per 1 000 live births.

During the 10 years from 2007 to 2017, the infant mortality rate in the EU fell from 4.4 deaths per 1 000 live births to 3.6 deaths per 1 000 live births; extending the analysis to the last 20 years, the infant mortality rate was almost halved (from 6.8 deaths per 1 000 in 1997).

In 2017, the highest infant mortality rates in the EU were registered in Malta and Romania (both 6.7 deaths per 1 000 live births) and Bulgaria (6.4 deaths), and the lowest in Cyprus (1.3 deaths) and Finland (2.0 deaths), statistics showed.

No details were provided on the causes of the deaths.