India recorded an estimated 565,900 stillbirths in 2023 when the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended definition of stillbirth (≥22 weeks' gestation) was applied, according to a new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2023 published in The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia. The findings indicate that the country's stillbirth burden may be substantially underestimated under the conventionally used ≥28-week threshold. The investigators estimated a national stillbirth rate (SBR) of 25.9 per 1,000 births at ≥22 weeks' gestation , compared with 16.1 per 1,000 births at ≥28 weeks.
This translates to approximately 1.6 times more stillbirths when earlier fetal deaths are included, underscoring the impact of adopting the WHO ICD-11 reporting definition. Drawing on data from 122 sources, including national surveys, published studies, and registration systems, the…
