A National Vital Statistics Report entitled “Infant Mortality in the United States, 2022: Data From the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File” dated July 25, 2024 stated:
A total of 20,577 infant deaths were reported in the United States in 2022, up 3% from 2021. The U.S. infant mortality rate was 5.61 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, a 3% increase from the rate of 5.44 in 2021. The neonatal mortality
rate increased 3% from 3.49 in 2021 to 3.59 in 2022, and the postneonatal mortality rate increased 4% from 1.95 to 2.02. The overall infant mortality rate increased for infants of American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic, White non-Hispanic, and Dominican women in 2022 compared with 2021; changes in rates for the other race and Hispanic-origin groups were not significant. Infants of Black non-Hispanic women had the highest mortality rate (10.90) in 2022, followed by infants of American Indian and Alaska Native non-Hispanic and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander non-Hispanic (9.06 and 8.50, respectively), Hispanic (4.89), White non-Hispanic (4.52), and Asian non-Hispanic (3.51) women.
Mortality rates increased from 2021 to 2022 among preterm (less than 37 weeks of gestation) infants (33.59 to 34.78) and for infants born term (37 to 41 weeks of gestation) (2.08 to 2.18). The five leading causes of infant death in 2022 were the same as in 2021. Infant mortality rates by state for 2022 ranged from a low of 3.32 in Massachusetts to a high of 9.11 in Mississippi.
The U.S. infant mortality rate has generally trended downward since 1995 (the first year that the period linked birth/infant death file was available) and in 2022 was down 19% since the last increase in 2002 (6.95).
In 2022, the five leading causes of all infant deaths were the same as those in 2021: congenital malformations (19.5%
of infant deaths), disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight (14.0%), sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS) (7.4%), unintentional injuries (6.6%), and maternal complications (5.9%).
From 2021 to 2022, the infant mortality rate increased for maternal complications (from 30.4 infant deaths per
100,000 live births to 33.1).
Twelve states had infant mortality rates significantly lower than the national infant mortality rate: California, Colorado,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington.
Nineteen states had infant mortality rates significantly higher than the U.S. infant mortality rate: Alabama, Arizona,
Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
If you or your child suffered serious harm as a result of a birth injury in the United States, you should promptly find a birth injury medical malpractice lawyer in your state who may investigate your birth injury medical malpractice claim for you and represent you and your child in a birth injury medical malpractice case, if appropriate.
Click here to visit our website or call us toll-free in the United States at 800-295-3959 to find birth injury medical malpractice attorneys in your U.S. state who may assist you.
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