SNZ Glossary Term - Stillbirth

Glossary Term
Stillbirth

Term
Stillbirth

Synonym

Late Foetal Loss

Related Term

Source of Definition

Short Definition

Statistical Activity
Demography

Definition
A dead foetus that:

weighs 400g or more when issued from its mother; or
is issued from its mother after the 20th week of gestation.

The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995, which took effect from 1 September 1995, redefined what constituted a stillbirth. Before the new Act a stillbirth was defined as a child born dead after 28 weeks of gestation. This change in definition means that stillbirths from September 1995 onwards are not directly comparable with earlier years.

Example