ABSTRACT Objectives: to analyze the association between nursing workload and neonatal mortality risk in newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Methods: this is an observational, cross-sectional study conducted from January 2019 to January 2020. Results: the sample consisted of 399 newborns, 55.4% male, Nursing Activities Score mean of 67.5%, and Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology Perinatal Extension mean of 17.7, revealed itself as a predictor of the risk of death, while gestational age, length of hospitalization, and the first-minute Apgar established a protective relationship. The correlation between workload and neonatal mortality was low (r= 0.23, p=0.0009). Conclusions: the workload of the nursing team is not associated with the risk of mortality in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as measured by the Nursing Activities Score.