Background Sporadic evidence from China suggests that migrant children are at higher risk of injury-related mortality than local indigenous children. Methods Child deaths from 2004 to 2008 were provided by the Shenzhen Women and Child Health Surveillance System. Population data for children 1-4 years old were obtained from the Shenzhen Bureau of Statistics and number of live births was obtained from birth registration records. All-cause and injury-related childhood mortality rates and death causes were calculated and compared. Results A total of 3774 deaths were identified. All-cause mortality rates per 10 000 dropped significantly from 66.28 (95% CI 60.50 to 72.06) in infants (<1 year old) and 7.40 (95% CI 6.16 to 8.64) in early childhood (1-4 years old) in 2004 to 40.42 (95% CI 37.31 to 43.53) and 3.97 (95% CI 3.36 to 4.58) in 2008. However, injury-related mortality rates did not change significantly from 2.36 (95% CI 1.27 to 3.45) in infants and 2.97 (95% CI 2.19 to 3.76) in early childhood in 2004 to 2.00 (95% CI 1.31 to 2.69) and 2.00 (95% CI 1.56 to 2.43) in 2008. Injury-related mortality rates were significantly higher among migrant children (p<0.05). Drowning and traffic crashes were the top two causes of early childhood injury deaths; suffocation was the leading cause of infant injury deaths. Conclusion Migrant children were at significantly higher risk of injury-related mortality than local indigenous children. Injury prevention in Shenzhen should target drowning and traffic safety among young children and suffocation among infants as top priorities.

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China economics Wounds and Injuries Preventive Health Services human injury statistics family size Family Characteristics Humans male preschool child Socioeconomic Factors Infant preventive health service risk factor Risk Factors socioeconomics Child, Preschool female Article migration Accident Prevention standard Transients and Migrants cause of death childhood mortality Child Mortality mortality