Birth asphyxia is one of the major causes of neonatal mortality across the world especially in the developing countries. It contributes to 11% of the total infants dying under the age of five and is the second largest cause of neonatal mortality after prematurity.
As per the WHO data of 2013, approximately 660,000 newborns died because of birth asphyxia in the first month of birth. India leads the chart with 140,000 deaths followed by Nigeria, Pakistan, China and Congo. The details of number of deaths in each country due to birth asphyxia can be found below: