John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
Infant mortality - Statistics & Facts
In 2024, the countries with the highest infant mortality rates were Afghanistan, Somalia, and the Central African Republic. The countries with the lowest infant mortality rates were Slovenia, Iceland, and Monaco. At that time the infant mortality rate in Afghanistan was 101 per 1,000 live births, while in Slovenia it was just 1.5 per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality is defined as the death of an infant before the age of one and it is an important measure of maternal and infant health and a benchmark of the overall health of a society or community. Common causes of infant mortality include preterm birth complications, intrapartum related events, sepsis or meningitis, and congenital abnormalities. The global infant mortality rate has decreased in the past couple of decades and is predicted to continue to decrease in the future.
What is the infant mortality rate in the United States?
As seen in many other developed countries, the infant mortality rate in the United States has steadily decreased over the past few decades. In 2022, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. was 5.4 per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 25.9 per 1,000 live births in the year 1960. The leading causes of infant mortality in the U.S. are congenital malformations, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome, with congenital malformations accounting for 19 percent of all infant deaths in 2022. The states with the highest rates of infant mortality are Mississippi, South Dakota, and Arkansas, while Massachusetts and New Hampshire have the lowest rates.Disparities in infant mortality
Disparities in infant mortality rates are not only found on a state level in the United States but are also seen based on age, race/ethnicity, and the weight of the mother. Both women who are overweight and underweight before pregnancy have higher rates of infant mortality compared to women of normal weight pre-pregnancy. For example, in the period 2019-2021, the infant mortality rate among U.S. women who were of normal weight before becoming pregnant was 4.31 per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 6.73 per 1,000 live births among women who were obese. An even larger disparity in infant mortality can be found based on the race and ethnicity of the mother. In 2022, the infant mortality rate among non-Hispanic Black women was 10.9 per 1,000 live births, while the rate among non-Hispanic white women was only 4.52. This highlights the ongoing racial and ethnic disparities found not only in infant health but also maternal health in the United States. Although infant mortality rates have decreased overall in the United States and many other parts of the world, more can be done to further decrease these deaths and to close disparities based on things such as race and ethnicity, income, and geographic location.
