The child mortality rate in the United States, for children under the age of five, was 462.9 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that for every thousand babies born in 1800, over 46 percent did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just seven deaths per thousand births. Although the child mortality rate has decreased greatly over this 220 year period, there were two occasions where it increased; in the 1870s, as a result of the fourth cholera pandemic, smallpox outbreaks, and yellow fever, and in the late 1910s, due to the Spanish Flu pandemic.

In 2022, the infant mortality rate in the United States was 5.4 out of every 1,000 live births. This is a significant decrease from 1960, when infant mortality was at around 26 deaths out of every 1,000 live births. What is infant mortality? The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of babies under the age of one per 1,000 live births. There are many causes for infant mortality, which include birth defects, low birth weight, pregnancy complications, and sudden infant death syndrome. In order to decrease the high rates of infant mortality, there needs to be an increase in education and medicine so babies and mothers can receive the proper treatment needed. Maternal mortality is also related to infant mortality. If mothers can attend more prenatal visits and have more access to healthcare facilities, maternal mortality can decrease, and babies have a better chance of surviving in their first year. Worldwide infant mortality rates Infant mortality rates vary worldwide; however, some areas are more affected than others. Afghanistan suffered from the highest infant mortality rate in 2024, and the following 19 countries all came from Africa, with the exception of Pakistan. On the other hand, Slovenia had the lowest infant mortality rate that year. High infant mortality rates can be attributed to lack of sanitation, technological advancements, and proper natal care. In the United States, Massachusetts had the lowest infant mortality rate, while Mississippi had the highest in 2022. Overall, the number of neonatal and post neonatal deaths in the United States has been steadily decreasing since 1995.

Infant Mortality Rate for the United States was 5.50000 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Infant Mortality Rate for the United States reached a record high of 25.90000 in January of 1960 and a record low of 5.50000 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Infant Mortality Rate for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

This dataset of U.S. mortality trends since 1900 highlights childhood mortality rates by age group for age at death. Age-adjusted death rates (deaths per 100,000) after 1998 are calculated based on the 2000 U.S. standard population. Populations used for computing death rates for 2011–2017 are postcensal estimates based on the 2010 census, estimated as of July 1, 2010. Rates for census years are based on populations enumerated in the corresponding censuses. Rates for noncensus years between 2000 and 2010 are revised using updated intercensal population estimates and may differ from rates previously published. Data on age-adjusted death rates prior to 1999 are taken from historical data (see References below). Age groups for childhood death rates are based on age at death. SOURCES CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, historical data, 1900-1998 (see https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality_historical_data.htm); CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, mortality data (see http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm); and CDC WONDER (see http://wonder.cdc.gov). REFERENCES National Center for Health Statistics, Data Warehouse. Comparability of cause-of-death between ICD revisions. 2008. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality/comparability_icd.htm. National Center for Health Statistics. Vital statistics data available. Mortality multiple cause files. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/vitalstatsonline.htm. Kochanek KD, Murphy SL, Xu JQ, Arias E. Deaths: Final data for 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 9. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_09-508.pdf. Arias E, Xu JQ. United States life tables, 2017. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 68 no 7. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2019. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr68/nvsr68_07-508.pdf. National Center for Health Statistics. Historical Data, 1900-1998. 2009. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/mortality_historical_data.htm.

United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Other Small States was 23.60151 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Other Small States reached a record high of 76.41761 in January of 1979 and a record low of 23.60151 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Other Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Number of infant deaths and infant mortality rates, by age group (neonatal and post-neonatal), 1991 to most recent year.

In 2021, the infant mortality rate in the United Kingdom was four deaths one year per 1,000 live births, one of the lowest infant mortality rate in this period. Infant mortality has fallen considerably since 1900, when there were 150 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

The infant mortality rate in the United States, for children under the age of one (twelve months), was 60 deaths per thousand births in 1935. Approximately six percent of children born in 1935 did not survive past their first birthday. Over the course of the next 85 years, this number has dropped significantly, and the rate has reached its lowest point ever in the period between 2015 and 2020, at six deaths per thousand births. Figures have been below ten since the 1990s.

United States - Infant Mortality Rate for High Income Countries was 4.10000 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Infant Mortality Rate for High Income Countries reached a record high of 36.40000 in January of 1960 and a record low of 4.10000 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Infant Mortality Rate for High Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Iraq infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

The child mortality rate in India, for children under the age of five, was 509 deaths per thousand births in 1880. This means that over half of all children born in 1880 did not survive past the age of five, and it remained this way until the twentieth century. From 1900 until today, the child mortality rate has fallen from over 53 percent in 1900, to under four percent in 2020. Since 1900, there were only two times where the child mortality rate increased in India, which were as a result of the Spanish Flu pandemic in the 1910s, and in the 1950s as India adjusted to its newfound independence.

United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Caribbean Small States was 16.69658 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Caribbean Small States reached a record high of 62.07140 in January of 1960 and a record low of 14.04995 in January of 2020. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Infant Mortality Rate for Caribbean Small States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

The child mortality rate in the United Kingdom, for children under the age of five, was 329 deaths per thousand births in 1800. This means that approximately one in every three children born in 1800 did not make it to their fifth birthday. Over the course of the next 220 years, this number has dropped drastically, particularly in the first half of the twentieth century, and the rate has dropped to its lowest point ever in 2020 where it is just four deaths per thousand births.

Graph and download economic data for Infant Mortality Rate for the Islamic Republic of Iran (SPDYNIMRTINIRN) from 1971 to 2023 about mortality, infant, Iran, and rate.

UNICEF's country profile for India, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

The child mortality rate of Brazil, for children under the age of five years, was 417 deaths per thousand births in the year 1900. This meant that approximately 42 percent of all children did not make it to their fifth birthday. This number has continuously decreased until today, dropping at its fastest rate between 1930 and 1955,when it then fell to less than half the rate in 1900. Today, the child mortality rate in Brazil is 15 deaths per thousand births; pre-natal education, medical advancements and improved access to medical care are the driving forces behind these changes.

The study’s theme: The development of infant mortality in Germany for the 19th century is only poorly documented. Especially for the period prior to 1871 only small area statistics are available. With the preparation of the information collected by the authorities of the former German States the author tries to create a new statistical basis. The reconstructed national series of birth and infant mortality (from 1826) documents relatively high infant mortality rates with little progress (i.e. improvement of the situation) until the beginning of the 20th Century. Considering the influence of urbanization the evaluation of the different regional patterns and trends leads to a new weighting of the problem. Thus the living and working conditions in the country were of considerable importance. Overall, the prevailing habits and attitudes are considered crucial to the survival of small children (Gehrmann 2011, S. 807) Data and data preparation, source problems:The federal structure of the Empire leads to the problem that the printed statistics on infant mortality before 1901 remained incomplete. In some German states, information concerning infant mortality was not collected from the beginning of the registry offices. However, the ‘Kaiserliches Statistisches Amt’ (Imperial Statistical Office) was able to create despi9te the difficult situation a life table, which represented 97,3% of live birth for the period of 1872 to 1880. Hence, the annual infant mortality rate in 1872 is known. „Die föderale Struktur des Kaiserreichs hatte (…) zur Folge, dass die gedruckte Statistik zur Säuglingssterblichkeit vor 1901 lückenhaft blieb. Mehr noch: es wurden offensichtlich in einigen Staaten diesbezügliche Angaben gar nicht oder zumindest nicht von Anfang an bei den Standesämtern abgefragt. Als das Kaiserliche Statistische Amt in den 1880er Jahren die erste Sterbetafel für das Deutsche Reich erstellen wollte, musste es deshalb konstatieren, dass in den Einzelstaaten „fast alle in der Statistik überhaupt üblichen Arten und Grade der Spezialisierung vertreten“ (Kaiserliches Statistisches Amt 1887: 21) waren, aus manchen aber trotzdem keine geeigneten Unterlagen beschafft werden konnten. Immerhin repräsentierte die Sterbetafel am Ende doch 96,8% der Reichsbevölkerung im Jahre 1885 und 97,3% der Lebendgeborenen 1872 bis 1880. Damit ist auch die jährliche Säuglingssterblichkeitsrate ab 1872 bekannt. (…) Mit Hilfe des Sterbetafel-Materials kann die statistische Reihe aus „Bevölkerung und Wirtschaft“ also um fast 30 Jahre nach hinten verlängert werden. (…) Komplizierter stellt sich die Sachlage für weiter zurückliegende Zeitabschnitte dar. „ (S. 812-813)Although in most German states statistical collection on population movement has been carried out, the statistics vary considerably in quality. In the first step therefore, the author reject the procedure of simply extrapolating the birth rates because of the qualitative differences of the early statistics are too fundamental. Especially, in this approach of simply summing up, the values of the undocumented areas would equate with the values of the other well documented regions. Therefore, the author chose a complex way to estimate the lacking values: The missing values in small territories are estimated on the basis of the values of neighboring regions. Finally, it can be seen, that the data for the period from 1828 to 1871, calculated by the complex procedure of filling in missing data does not lead to significantly different results comparing to the data row calculated by the simple sum of the different sources. Per year, the difference between the two series (the series calculated in the complex way and the series calculated by summing up the values of the available statistics) is not more than 0,9 percent points, which can be seen as a slight difference between the two series in relation to the former level of infant mortality. The indeterminate values of those German states lacking a birth statistics may not being significantly different to those calculated on the basis of the complex procedure, because even unexpected, extreme runaway values in individual states can not realistically assumed to be so large that they could have a sufficient impact on the overall values. Thus, the presented row is a solid basis for the assessment of the overall development of the German Empire’s birth development. „Vielmehr empfiehlt es sich, zunächst in kleinen Schritten für die einzelnen Territorien fehlende Werte durch wahrscheinliche zu ersetzen. Diese ergeben sich in erster Linie aus dem Vergleich der Säuglingssterblichkeitswerte benachbarter Gebiete zu anderen Zeitpunkten. So können für Württemberg die vor 1859 zu längeren Zeiträumen zusammengefassten Informationen auf Einzeljahre herunter gerechnet werden, indem die Verteilung über die Jahre wie in Bayern angenommen wird. … Alle ermittelten Werte beziehen sich auf Lebendgeborene.“ (S. 814) „Die komplexe Prozedur der Ergänzung fehlend...

Historical chart and dataset showing Puerto Rico infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Infant Mortality Rate for Trinidad and Tobago was 17.20000 Number per 1,000 Live Births in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Infant Mortality Rate for Trinidad and Tobago reached a record high of 18.60000 in January of 2020 and a record low of 17.20000 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Infant Mortality Rate for Trinidad and Tobago - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Historical chart and dataset showing Yemen infant mortality rate by year from 1950 to 2025.