What is the US infant mortality rate?
Infant mortality fell by 92.7% in the past century but rose 3.5% between 2020 and 2023.
In 2023, 5.61 out of every 1,000 babies born in the US died before their first birthdays, an increase of 3.5% from the 2020’s record low of 5.42. This is the US infant mortality rate, and it’s one of the markers officials use to measure society’s health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) doesn’t point to any single cause for the recent increase, but it did highlight a few trends in the data in 2022, the first year that infant mortality increased.
Historically, however, infant mortality has been declining. Between 1915 and 2023, the infant mortality rate decreased from 99.9 deaths per live 1,000 births to 5.6 deaths — a 17.8-fold decrease. At the start of the 20th century, up to 30% of infants in some parts of the US died during their first year.
Advancements in medicine and prenatal care along with improved sanitation, helped the rate drop: But while the decrease in infant mortality across the last 100+ years is substantial, disparities in infant mortality across demographic groups persist.
The US infant mortality rate has fallen 92.7% in the last century.
Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 1915–2023
How does infant mortality vary by race?
The Black, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and multi-racial communities all had infant mortality rates above the national average in 2023. Rates for Hispanic, White, and Asian-identified communities were below.
The Black infant mortality rate in particular was nearly double the national average. Compared to non-Hispanic white infants, non-Hispanic Black babies were 2.4 times more likely to pass away before turning one.
The Black infant mortality rate was nearly double the national average in 2023.
US infant mortality rates by race/ethnicity per 1,000 live births, 2023
What are the leading causes of infant mortality?
Birth defects — structural problems with any body part present at birth — affect one in every 33 babies born in the US every year and were the cause of about 20% of infant deaths in 2023.
Other common causes of infant death were:
- preterm births
- sudden infant death syndrome (commonly called SIDS)
- accidental injuries sustained during or after birth, and
- pregnancy complications
In 2023, birth defects were responsible for roughly one out of every five infant deaths.
Fifteen leading causes of infant mortality in the US, 2023
According to a CDC study, birth defects were 32% to 34% more common in Black infants, and 15% to 26% more common in Hispanic babies. The study noted a range of factors that contributes to these disparities, including access to and utilization of pre- and post-natal care, insurance coverage, nutrition, and more.
What factors contribute to infant mortality?
The CDC identified the following as associated with increased risk of infant mortality:
- smoking
- substance abuses
- maternal age (mothers younger than 15 or older than 40)
- residing in rural areas
- not getting proper nutrition, and
- skipping early childhood immunization
Which states have the highest infant mortality rates?
Mississippi had the highest infant mortality rate in 2023 at 8.94 deaths per 1,000 births, followed by Arkansas (8.22) and Alabama (7.64). New Hampshire had the lowest at 2.93, with Vermont next at 3.16 [annotation: The CDC has marked this figure as unreliable due to total deaths being below 20.] and Massachusetts at 3.28.
The government set a target to reduce infant deaths nationwide to five or fewer per 1,000 live births by 2030. Sixteen states met that target in 2023.
These rankings take population size into account, but do not adjust for other state-specific population features.
In 2023, Mississippi had the highest infant mortality rate in the nation.
Infant mortality rates per 1,000 live births by state, 2023
How does the US infant mortality rate compare to rates in other countries?
A preliminary 2024 estimate by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ranks the US 54th out of 227 countries and territories, with a predicted rate of 5.1 deaths per 1,000 births. The worldwide average is estimated to be 28.3.
Per the CIA’s 2024 estimates, Afghanistan has the highest infant mortality rate in the world at just over 10%, or 101.3 deaths per 1,000 births. It’s followed by Somalia (83.6), the Central African Republic (80.5), Equatorial Guinea (77.4), and Sierra Leone (71.2).
The US tied for 54th in the world with Slovakia for infant mortality.
Infant mortality rates per 1,000 live births by country, 2024
The top five causes of infant death worldwide were neonatal encephalopathy (lack of oxygen to the brain), infections (especially blood), preterm birth complications, lower respiratory infections (flu and pneumonia), and diarrheal diseases.
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