According to a New York Times article, almost 10 percent of babies born across the globe are born prematurely - and as a result, close to a million infants die every year.

The March of Dimes, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, released a report this week stating that the majority of premature births (nearly 13 million) occur in poor countries in Africa and Asia.

The factors that contribute to premature births in poor countries are different from the factors affecting birth in wealthier nations, the New York Times reported.

In countries like the United States with highly evolved medical practices, the survival rate for premature babies is higher - but that doesn’t take into account long-term problems those children may have as a result, like blindness or cerebral palsy, the report stated.

An infant is considered to be premature if born before the 37th week of pregnancy. In the United States, a small percentage of babies are born before 32 weeks - making them at a very high risk of death or lifelong health issues, the March of Dines reported.

Few of these fatalities among premature babies lead to medical malpractice lawsuits - in most cases of premature birth there is nothing that medicine can do to prevent potential long-term health issues in early-birth babies, the New York Times reported.