The child mortality rate in the United States, for children under the age of five, was 462.9 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that for every thousand babies born in 1800, over 46 percent did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births. Although the child mortality rate has decreased greatly over this 220 year period, there were two occasions where it increased; in the 1870s, as a result of the fourth cholera pandemic, smallpox outbreaks, and yellow fever, and in the late 1910s, due to the Spanish Flu pandemic.
Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020*
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
UN DESA, & Gapminder. (June 17, 2019). Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
UN DESA, und Gapminder. "Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020*." Chart. June 17, 2019. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
UN DESA, Gapminder. (2019). Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
UN DESA, and Gapminder. "Child Mortality Rate (under Five Years Old) in The United States, from 1800 to 2020*." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Jun 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/
UN DESA & Gapminder, Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020* Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
Child mortality rate (under five years old) in the United States, from 1800 to 2020* [Graph], UN DESA, & Gapminder, June 17, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041693/united-states-all-time-child-mortality-rate/