This article examines trends in inequalities in infant mortality in England and Wales between 1976 and 2000. It describes variations in neonatal, postneonatal and infant mortality by mother's age, registration status, father's social class, multiplicity and birthweight. Throughout the period, social class differences in mortality were wider in the postneonatal period than the neonatal period and there was considerable variation in infant mortality by age of mother, birthweight and multiplicity within both manual and non-manual groups.