Data and Statistics
Stillbirth is more common than people may realize. Read below for CDC’s scientific findings on stillbirth.
How Many Babies Are Stillborn?
- In 2014, about 24,000 stillbirths were reported in the United States. Read the report pdf icon[PDF – 602 KB]
- Since the 1940s, improvements in maternity care resulted in a dramatic reduction in the occurrence of stillbirth; however, more recently, the decline has slowed or halted.
How Has the Rate of Stillbirth Changed Over Time?
This graph shows the rate of stillbirth over time by the number of completed weeks of pregnancy in the United States from 1990 through 2017. The blue line shows the rate of early stillbirth, meaning at 20-27 completed weeks. The red line shows the rate of late stillbirth, meaning at 28 or more completed weeks of pregnancy.
Starting with 2014 data, the obstetric estimate of gestation at delivery replaced the gestational age measure based on the date of the last normal menses, introducing a discontinuity in early and late fetal morality rates from earlier years; rates calculated using the different measures are non-comparable.
Rates of Stillbirth Vary by Race/Ethnicity
This figure shows that the rate of stillbirth varies considerably by race and Hispanic origin of the mother. The rate for non-Hispanic white women was 4.89 per 1,000 live births and still births. This rate is similar to that for Asian or Pacific Islander women, who had a stillbirth rate of 4.29. In stark contrast, the rate of stillbirth for non-Hispanic black women was 10.32, more than twice the rate for non-Hispanic white women. The rate for American Indian or Alaska Native women was 7.22 and the rate for Hispanic women was 5.22.