The Chinese Ministry of Health said in Beijing on November 26 the rate of rural women dying in childbirth in 2003 was 2.4 times that of the urban women.

The maternal mortality rate for rural Chinese women in 2003 was65.4 deaths for every 100,000 mothers, compared with the 27.6 per 100,000 for the urban women, according to the ministry. But the country's general maternal mortality rate had dropped from 53 per 100,000 in 2000 to 51.3 per 100,000 in 2003.

The mortality rate for infants in rural areas was 2.5 times that of babies in urban areas. But overall, China's infant mortality rate dropped to 2.55 percent in 2003, compared with 3.22 percent in 2000, according to the ministry.

The mortality rate for the children under 5 also fell, from 3.97 percent to 2.99 percent.

Source: Xinhua