Infant mortality indicators in Mozambique have fallen once again, with a rate of 39 infant deaths per 1,000 births, according to the Demographic and Health Survey (IDS) 2022/2023.

According to the study by the National Statistics Institute (INE), presented yesterday in Maputo, carried out jointly with the Ministry of Health and the National Health Institute, the infant mortality rate (number of children who died before reaching the age of one per thousand live births) over the last five years was the lowest of the four IDSs ever carried out in the country, taking into account the 135 in 1997, the 101 in 2003 and the 64 in 2011.

The fieldwork for the fourth IDS took place from July 27, 2022 to February 27, 2023.

According to INE, the fourth IDS carried out in Mozambique, funded by several international organizations, concludes that 67.5% of births were attended by a health professional and 64.5% were carried out in a health unit, compared to 54.3% and 54.8% in 2011 respectively.

The study also looks at the country's nutritional status, concluding that of the 11 provinces (including Maputo city), six were chronically malnourished and two (Niassa and Zambézia) were acutely malnourished.

It also points out that 72.5% of children nationwide were anemic, compared to 68.7% in 2011, while among women aged 15 to 49 this percentage was 51.8%, compared to 53.9% in 2011.

The IDS project is funded by the US international cooperation agency USAID and provides technical assistance to low- and middle-income countries in the areas of collecting and using data to monitor and evaluate population, health and nutrition programs.

According to INE, the information collected will make it possible to "learn about the health status of the population, as well as its socio-demographic characteristics", monitor the progress made with some economic and social development programs and "assess the impact of policies and programs on the population".