Objective:

To characterize early and late neonatal mortality in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil) from 2008 to 2017.

Methodology:

Descriptive, temporal epidemiological study under a retrospective quantitative approach, with data from the sus Department of Informatics (DATASUS) on neonatal deaths occurred between January 2008 and December 2017 in the state of Rio Grande do Norte by place of residence.

Results:

The sample consisted of a total of 4,531 deaths, the most prevalent being: early neonatal death (79.65 %), male gender (54.71 %), pregnancy of less than 27 weeks (34.05 %), childbirth type (49.93 %), newborns weighing less than 2,500g (68.57 %), and mothers with 8 to 11 years of schooling. Between 2008, the initial year of collection, and 2017, the final year, neonatal mortality decreased by 23.83 %. Male mortality was higher than female in all years, ranging between 0.09 and 0.08, respectively. The chi-square independence test showed an association between type of delivery and neonatal mortality of p < 0.001.

Conclusion:

Research data show a reduction of neonatal mortality in the RN state, while pointing the need to strengthen actions during the gestational period in order to avoid conditions favorable to infant mortality such as prematurity and malnutrition. Other proven data refers to the filing of "live birth" or "death" statements, where several variables presented the item "ignored," referring to incorrect or non-filling information.

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