Infant mortality in the United States reached a record low in 2025, according to provisional data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The preliminary figures show just under 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, a slight but statistically significant decline from approximately 5.5 in 2024 and 5.6 in previous years. This decrease translates to hundreds fewer infant deaths annually, marking a notable improvement in public health.

Infant mortality, which measures the number of deaths among babies before their first birthday relative to live births, has gradually decreased over the past 30 years. In the early 1990s, the U.S. rate stood around 7.5 deaths per 1,000 live births. Despite this long-term progress, the country’s rate remains higher than those observed in many other high-income nations.

Experts have linked the historically elevated U.S. infant mortality rate to factors such as poverty and limited prenatal care. In 2022, the U.S. rate increased significantly for the first time in nearly two decades, reaching nearly twice the rates seen in several peer countries like Italy, Japan, Spain, and Sweden. Public health researchers attributed this rise primarily to the resurgence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza infections.

In response, health authorities introduced new preventive recommendations in 2023 aimed at reducing infant viral infections. These included offering a laboratory-engineered antibody injection for infants to combat RSV and administering an RSV vaccine to pregnant women between 32 and 36 weeks gestation. Officials from the March of Dimes organization have suggested these measures likely contributed to the decline observed in 2024 and into 2025.

Additional factors may be influencing improved outcomes as well. A decline in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) has been associated with enhanced public education on safe sleeping practices, according to Dr. Michael Warren, chief medical and health officer at the March of Dimes.

The CDC’s recent reports also highlight ongoing disparities in infant mortality by race and geography. Data from 2024 indicate infant death rates for babies born to Black mothers remain more than double those for Hispanic, white, and Asian American mothers. Mortality rates declined for full-term infants (39 to 40 weeks gestation) but showed little change among babies born at other gestational ages.

Geographically, Mississippi reported the highest infant mortality rate in 2024 at 9.65 deaths per 1,000 live births, while New Hampshire had the lowest at just under 3 per 1,000. Overall U.S. infant deaths dropped to about 19,350 in 2025, down from an estimated 20,050 in 2024 and 20,160 in 2023.

Health officials characterize the 2025 figures as an encouraging sign, though caution remains as experts continue to analyze the factors behind recent trends and work toward further reductions in infant mortality nationwide.