This paper analyses data from the Israeli nationwide perinatal census, with the aim of revealing the possible causes of perinatal death, and to assess the effects of risk factors, using a logistic regression analysis. The analysis provided an estimate of the net effect of each characteristic independently, thus identifying high-risk pregnancies that should be monitored with greater intensity. Five variables were found to have a significant effect on perinatal death. Among these, in order of decreasing risk: fetal presentation, maternal diseases complicating pregnancy, number of fetuses, ethnic origin, and maternal age. Other variables such as parity, standard of hospital, the mother's country of birth and domiciliary circumstances, did not significantly affect perinatal mortality.