LISBON -- Infant mortality in Portugal was halved between 1990 and 1999 according to a government report to be given to the United Nations on Wednesday, AFP quoted the Lusa news agency as saying.

There were 5.6 deaths per thousand live births in Portugal in 1999, down from 10.9 in 1990, the report said.

The EU infant mortality rate stood at 4.9 deaths per thousand live births in 2000, against 12.4 in 1980, according to Eurostat, the EU statistics office.

The infant mortality rate is lowest in the 15-nation EU in Sweden, with 3.0 deaths per thousand live births, and was highest in Greece, with 6.1 deaths in 2000.

The report, prepared for a special session on children by the UN General Assembly to be held in New York on May 8-10, also concluded teen suicides fell during the same period in Portugal.

There were 1.5 suicides for every 100,000 youths between the age of 15 and 19 in Portugal in 1999, down from 2.4 in 1990 according to the report.

The UN Special Session on Children, to be attended by more than 70 heads of state and government, intends to present world leaders with a review of what has been achieved for children since the 1990 World Summit for Children.