健康英语新闻:Infant mortality rate reduced by half in S. Korea over two decades

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's infant mortality rate decreased by nearly half in the last 20 years to stand as the world's 16th lowest, a report showed Wednesday.

South Korea had an infant mortality rate of 2.2 per 1,000 in 2009, compared with four deaths per 1,000 newborns reported in 1990, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Save the Children, an international non-governmental organization working for children's rights, said in a joint report.

With a 45 percent decline in the infant mortality rate, South Korea ranked 16th lowest among WHO member countries, down from its 88th spot in 1990, according to the report. South Korea's infant mortality rate was the same as France, Estonia and Malta. Meanwhile, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) also showed a decline in the infant mortality rate from 23 per 1,000 in 1990 to 18.1 per 1,000 in 2009, but still remained in the lower ranks with 125th place.