Rate of birth conditions recorded in Wales falls by 30%

Nation.Cymru staff

The rate of birth conditions recorded in Wales fell by 30% between 2009 and 2024, while survival to a first birthday remained broadly stable, Public Health Wales figures show.

The rate fell from 507 to 354 cases per 10,000 births. The figures cover conditions babies are born with, such as heart defects and cleft palate, and take account of the falling number of births in Wales.

The recorded rate fell to 235 cases per 10,000 births in 2025, but the annual report from the Congenital Anomaly Register and Information Service says many cases from that year have yet to be registered.

“Sometimes, there are delays in reporting cases to CARIS, or in registering cases reported to us. In addition, some congenital anomalies only become apparent as the child develops. This means that it can take up to three years after birth to gain a full picture and this is in line with experience in England,” the report says.

Public Health Wales said 96.4% of babies born alive with one or more of these conditions between 2016 and 2025 reached their first birthday. That compares with 96.8% across the full period since the register began in 1998.

Survival varied by condition. It was lower among babies with conditions affecting more than one body system and among those with conditions caused by changes in their chromosomes.

This year’s report also looks at conditions affecting the wall of the abdomen. One of them, known as gastroschisis, occurs when part of a baby’s bowel protrudes through an opening in the abdominal wall.

More than 95% of recorded cases of gastroschisis in Wales between 2016 and 2025 were picked up at or before the routine mid-pregnancy scan. Finding the condition before birth gives healthcare teams time to plan the delivery and any surgery needed afterwards.

The register also tracks rare childhood illnesses, including Kawasaki disease and Perthes disease. Public Health Wales uses the figures to help plan services for children and their families.