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What is Infant Mortality?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infant mortality is the death of an infant before his or her first birthday. The infant mortality rate is the number of infant deaths for every 1,000 live births. In addition to giving us key information about maternal and infant health, the infant mortality rate is an important marker of the overall health of a society.
How Does Infant Mortality Affect African American Populations?
Non-Hispanic Black
Non-Hispanic White
Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
10.4
4.4
2.4
Source: CDC 2022. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2020 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 2.https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/120700
Infant deaths and mortality rates for the top 5 leading causes of death for African Americans, 2020 (Rates per 100,000 live births)
Cause of Death(By rank)
# Non-Hispanic Black Deaths
Non-Hispanic Black Death Rate
# Non-Hispanic White Deaths
Non-Hispanic White Death Rate
(1) Low birthweight
1,136
214.4
1,040
56.4
3.8
(2) Congenital malformations
705
133.1
1, 976
107.2
1.2
(3) Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
472
89.1
563
30.5
2.9
(4) Accidents (unintentional injuries)
375
70.8
547
29.7
2.3
(5) Maternal Complications
337
63.6
370
20.1
3.2
Source: CDC 2022. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2020 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 2.
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/120700
Percentage of mothers who received prenatal care (first trimester), 2020
Non-Hispanic
White
Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
68.4
82.8
0.8
Source: CDC 2022. Births: Final Data for 2020 National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 13. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112078
Percentage of mothers who received late or no prenatal care, 2020
Non-Hispanic Black /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
9.1
4.5
2.0
Source: CDC 2022. Births: Final Data for 2020 National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 13.https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112078
Percentage of mothers who smoked during pregnancy, 2020
8.1
0.6
Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 2020
Age of Mother
Under 20 years
12.4
8.2
1.5
20-24 years
10.8
5.6
1.9
25-29 years
10.3
4.3
30-34 years
9.8
3.6
2.7
35-39 years
9.4
4.0
40-54 years
11.6
5.5
2.1
Source: CDC 2022. Infant mortality in the United States, 2020: Data from the periodlinked birth/infant death file. National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 2.https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/120700
