The U.S. infant mortality rate appears to have stabilized at 5.79 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, which is not statistically different from the rate of 5.87 in 2016, according to a CDC report published Aug. 1.
The report collected data from the 2017 linked birth/infant death file, which is based on birth and death certificates from all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The U.S. reported a total of 22,341 infant deaths in 2017.
Neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates for 2017 were also essentially unchanged compared to 2016, at 3.85 deaths and 1.94 deaths per 1,000 births, respectively. Racial disparities persisted in infant mortality for 2017. Non-Hispanic black women had an infant mortality rate of 10.97, which is over twice as high as the rate non-Hispanic white women (4.67), non-Hispanic Asian women (3.78) and Hispanic women (5.10).