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 blacks/African Americans have 2.4 times the infant mortality rate as non-Hispanic whites.
- Non-Hispanic black/African American infants are almost four times as likely to die from complications related to low birthweight as compared to non-Hispanic white infants.
- Non-Hispanic black/African American infants had 2.9 times the sudden infant death syndrome mortality rate as non-Hispanic whites, in 2020.
- In 2020, non-Hispanic black/African American mothers were twice as likely to receive late or no prenatal care as compared to non-Hispanic white mothers.
Infant Mortality Rate
| 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
Leading Causes of Infant Mortality
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 | Non-Hispanic Black / Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| (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
Characteristics of Mother
Percentage of mothers who received prenatal care (first trimester), 2020
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-HispanicWhite | Non-HispanicBlack / 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-HispanicWhite | 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
| Non-Hispanic Black | Non-HispanicWhite | Non-Hispanic Black /Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 4.5 | 8.1 | 0.6 |
Source: CDC 2022. Births: Final Data for 2020 National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 13.
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/112078
Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births, 2020
| Age of Mother | Non-Hispanic Black | Non-Hispanic White | Non-Hispanic Black /Non-Hispanic White Ratio |
| 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 | 2.4 |
| 30-34 years | 9.8 | 3.6 | 2.7 |
| 35-39 years | 9.4 | 4.0 | 2.4 |
| 40-54 years | 11.6 | 5.5 | 2.1 |
Source: CDC 2022. Infant mortality in the United States, 2020: Data from the period
linked birth/infant death file. National Vital Statistics Reports. Table 2.
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/120700