Stillbirths in UK rose in 2021 for first time in seven years

A report suggests widening inequalities as black babies and those from deprived backgrounds more likely to be stillborn

Stillbirths have risen for the first time in seven years, with striking increases seen in babies of black ethnicity and from the most deprived backgrounds.

The findings in the perinatal mortality report from the group Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries (MBRRACE-UK) highlight widening inequalities, with babies of black ethnicity more than twice as likely to be stillborn compared with white babies. Overall, stillbirths in 2021 (the most recent data reported by hospitals) increased to 3.54 per 1,000 from 3.33 per 1,000 in 2020, ending the year-on-year reduction across the UK since 2013.