U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Reverses Downward Trend

A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the U.S. infant mortality rate rose by 3 percent in 2022, reaching 5.61 in 1,000 live births. In 2023, the rate stayed the same, reversing a decade-long downward trend in U.S. child mortality. The rate had been almost continuously falling since CDC records began in 1995. Still, the U.S. stays behind most developed nations in this metric.

Infant mortality is the death of a child before its first birthday. Two common causes for infant death - pregnancy complications and meningitis - became more prevalent in 2022 and stayed roughly the same in 2023. Experts interviewed by news outlets said that the reasons for the increase were not quite clear yet and offered different explanations for parts of it, for example infectious diseases on the upswing after social distancing ended, expanding maternity care deserts in the country, unwanted pregnancies continuing to term due to abortion bans, an increase of maternal complications due to Covid-19 and more women in general starting pregnancy with underlying health conditions like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure as these become more prevalent in the population.

Black and native populations have the highest infant mortality rates in the United States. The increase in the overall child mortality rate in 2022 was the first statistically significant one since 2002.