U.S. Infant Mortality Statistics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics, the rate of infant mortality in the U.S. has gotten worse in comparison to other developed countries around the world. Back in 1960, the United States ranked 12th for infant mortality, which is the death of an infant one year of age or younger that was born alive. By 2004, the U.S. fell to 29th on that list, showing that other countries have greatly improved their infant mortality rates (IMR), while the U.S. has lagged behind. Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Norway, Finland and Sweden all had rates lower than 3.5 per 1,000 live births, while 22 other countries had rates below 5 per 1,000. In the United States in 2004, the IMR was 6.78 per 1,000 live births, a number high enough to place the country at 29 in international standings. However, the U.S. has seen a steady decline in the actual number of infant deaths, even though the country is doing much worse comparatively. In 1960, the IMR was 26 per 1,000 live births, which dropped significantly to the 6.78 per 1,000 that was recorded in 2004.

It is believed that unfavorable IMR in the U.S. may be due to the increase in the number of preterm births, resulting in a jump in preemie deaths in the past few years. The number of premature births rose from 11.6 percent to 12.7 percent between 2000 and 2005, with an estimated 36 percent of the infant deaths in the country in 2004 relating to the birth being preterm. These infant mortality rates vary among different ethnic and racial groups, with Black mothers in the U.S. having the highest IMR of 13.6 per 1,000 live births and Cuban mothers having the lowest rate of 4.55 per 1,000. Also, baby boys had a higher IMR than baby girls, with premature and multiple births having a higher chance of infant mortality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the five leading causes of infant death are birth defects, disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, SIDS, maternal complications and accidents. If the death or injury of your baby resulted from a mistake by a doctor or hospital, please contact the birth injury attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. to discuss the facts of your case. Our firm serves clients in Nassau and Suffolk County, Brooklyn, Bronx and Queens, as well as clients in Staten Island and Westchester County.

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