In the poorest 45 countries, the infant mortality rate was 108 per 1,000 in 1970, compared to the 64 per 1,000 that it is now. At the same time, the rate in the richest 23 countries has fallen from 19 to 7 per 1,000. But that means the gap between rich and poor increased in that time. The ratio of infant mortality in the poorest 45 to the richest 23 countries increased from 5.68 in 1970 to 9.14 in 1993.