down premature birth rates by continent . The highest premature birth rate is in Africa , where 11.9 percent of births each year are preterm , with more than 4 million premature deliveries annually . In populous Asia , although the preterm birth rate is lower at 9.1 percent , the number of premature births is higher , at nearly 7 million a year . While North America -- consisting of the United States and Canada in this report -- counts fewer than 500,000 premature births a year , its preterm birth rate is close to that of Africa , at 10.6 percent of all births , according to the report . The rate is the world 's second highest . In the United States , the rate of preterm births has increased 36 percent in the past 25 years , with births between the 34th and 36th week of gestation accounting for the majority of the increase , the organization found . Much of the hike in preterm births is linked to more pregnancies after the age of 35 and the use of fertility treatments that can lead to multiple births . `` Wherever trend data are available ,
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- More than 1 million babies born prematurely die each year before they are a month old , the March of Dimes said Sunday in the first comprehensive global report on premature births . A premature baby rests at a hospital in Kabul , Afghanistan , in October 2007 . The organization suggested the situation could worsen if the rate of premature births increases . Each year , 12.9 million infants -- or nearly 10 percent of the annual worldwide birth total -- are born before 37 weeks of development in the womb , the organization said . More than 85 percent of the premature births occur in developing countries in Africa and Asia . `` Premature births are an enormous global problem that is exacting a huge toll emotionally , physically and financially on families , medical systems and economies , '' March of Dimes President Jennifer Howse said in a statement . `` In the United States alone , the annual cost of caring for preterm babies and their associated health problems tops $ 26 billion . '' The March of Dimes report , which used data collected by the World Health Organization , breaks