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Children are important assets of a nation, therefore reduction in infant and child mortality is likely the most important objective of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).Infant and child mortality rates reflect a country's level of socio-economic development and quality of life and are used for monitoring and evaluating population, health programs and policies. The infant mortality rate (IMR) is the number of deaths of infants under one year old per 1,000 live births. This rate is often used as an indicator of the level of health in a country. There are a number of causes of infant mortality, including poor sanitation, poor water quality, malnourishment of the mother and infant, inadequate prenatal and medical care, and use of infant formula as a breast milk substitute. Women's status and disparities of wealth are also reflected in infant mortality rates. In areas where women have few rights and where there is a large income difference between the poor and the wealthy, infant mortality rates tend to be high. The leading causes of infant death haven't changed in the last several years, despite advanced technology and increased focus on prenatal care. While most people would expect the rate of infant death to be decreasing rapidly, it has actually remained pretty stable since 2000.India notched up an 8% decline in the infant mortality rate (IMR) in 2016 from a year ago, an improvement aided by a higher number of institutional deliveries and campaigns to promote breastfeeding and immunization. IMR declined to 34 per 1,000 live births last year from 37 per 1,000 live births in 2015, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin, released by the Office of the Registrar General. The infant mortality rate of the world is 49.4 according to the United Nations and 34.1 according to the CIA World Fact book. The under-5 mortality rate of the world is 43 deaths per 1,000 according to the World Health Organization.
