4.5 million children a year won't make it to their first birthday. A lot of emphasis is placed on helping developed countries improve their infant mortality rates. The Unites States however has the highest infant morality rate across the high income developed countries. The reason for this is complex and has a lot to do with the inequality that exists in the United States.
Note: The infant mortality rate is the probability of dying during the first year of life, expressed per 1,000 live births.
The United States hasn't always been last. In 1960 the United States was in the middle of the group but as time went on, other countries reduced their infant mortality rate at a faster rate leaving the US in last. Click the buttons to see how the United States stacks up each year for infant mortality rate.
No country in the world has a perfect record. The following charts compare where the high income developed countries fall on a number of factors that play into infant mortality. The United States interestingly spends the highest percentage of its annual GDP on healthcare and yet it comes last in all of the other factors.
Note: Preterm birth rate is the number of babies born before 37 weeks per 100 live births. The GINI Index is a calculation that measures the inequality in a country, the closer to zero a country is the more equal it is considered. Health Care Expenditures is the percent of annual GDP the country spends on healthcare. Adolescent Birth Rate is the number of births to women ages 15–19 per 1,000 women ages 15–19. Obesity rate is the percentage of overweight and obese people out of the population aged 15 years and over. Maternal mortality is number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to pregnancy.
This section looks at different factors that play into the infant mortality rate in the United States.
The infant mortality rate looks very different across different populations in the United States. The reason the United States has a higher infant mortality rate is connected to the inequality in the United States and the high preterm birth rate.
The difference in infant mortality across the different groups in the United States is staggering. Black babies are twice as likely to die before their first birthday as any other group.
Babies born Under 34 weeks are 20 times as likely to die as babies born at full term. The United States has the highest preterm birth rate than any other high income developed country.
Babies born to teen moms have a lower change of survival. There are several reasons for this. This age group has the highest rate of unintended births and are less likely to receive adeqate prenatal care.
Prenatal care is important to prevent preterm birth and other complications. Only about 60 percent of women in the United States receive adequate prenatal care.
The top causes of death are birth defects, preterm birth (birth before 37 weeks gestation) and low birth weight, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), maternal complications of pregnancy, and injuries. These causes account for about 57% of infant deaths in the United States.
The infant morality varies greatly by state. Massachussetts has the lowest infant mortality at 4.2 and Mississippi has the highest at 9.6. As you hover over the countries the dot plot breaks down the percent of births by each group in the United States and in that state.
Note: Abortion rate is the number of reported legal abortions per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. Preterm birth rate is the number of babies born before 37 weeks per 100 live births. Healthcare Expenditures is the per capita spending for all privately and publicly funded personal health care services. Children on Medicaid is the percentage of children, ages 0-18, on Medicaid. Uninsured Children is the percentage of children, ages 0-18, uninsured. Poverty Rate is the percent of children living below the federal poverty line. Low Birth weight is the percent of babies born less than 2500 grams. The birth rate is the total number of live births per 1,000 of a population in a year. Obesity rate is the percentage of overweight and obese people out of the population aged 15 years and over. Adolescent Birth Rate is the number of births to women ages 15–19 per 1,000 women ages 15–19. Unintended Pregnancy is the percent of pregnancies that were not planned.