U.S. infant mortality rate reaches record low of 5.4 per 1,000 live births in 2025

S. 4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted the provisional 2025 data in late May 2026.

The absolute number of infant deaths fell to about 19,350 in 2025, down from about 20,050 in 2024 and about 20,160 in 2023. The CDC released a more detailed analysis of 2024 data on Tuesday. That report showed death rates declined for infants under 28 days old and for older infants.

Rates also fell for infants born at 39–40 weeks gestation. Death rates for infants born to Black women remained more than twice as high as rates for infants born to Hispanic, white, and Asian American women in 2024. 65 deaths per 1,000 births, while New Hampshire recorded the lowest at just under 3 deaths per 1,000 births.

U.S. rate was nearly twice as high as rates recorded that year in Italy, Japan, Spain, and Sweden. S. health officials began recommending a lab-made antibody shot for infants and an RSV vaccine for pregnant women at 32–36 weeks gestation in 2023.

A March of Dimes expert previously linked those measures to the 2024 improvement. Dr. Michael Warren, chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes, stated that the 2025 decline is an encouraging data point and expressed hope that the trend will continue.

He also noted that a decline in sudden infant death syndrome could be connected to increased education around safe sleeping for infants. "These differences are reflective of a variety of reasons related to access to care, community factors, and policies that improve health and outcomes," Warren said.