Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said there were 219 unexplained infant deaths in England and Wales in 2016, up from 195 in 2015. The 2016 figure is the highest number since 2013 when there were 252 deaths.
However, over the last decade the number of unexplained infant deaths has declined overall by 23.2 per cent.
Unexplained infant deaths accounted for 8.3 per cent of all infant deaths in 2016, compared with 7.6 per cent in 2015, the ONS said.
The unexplained infant mortality rate remained the highest among children born to mothers under 20.
The figures suggested the highest unexplained infant mortality rates were in the West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and the north-west of England.
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