According to a statement released today from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States falls at #29 in rank for the number of infants who die during their first year of life. Topping the list, with the least number of infant deaths, are Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. A total of 22 countries reported infant mortality rates below 5 mortalities per 1,000 live births.

In 1960, the US ranked #12 but dropped to 23rd place by 1990, sliding to #27 in 2000, and now to #29 in 2004, the most recent year statistical data is available from every country.

Preliminary data for 2006 indicates a decline in infant mortality rates between 2005 and 2006, dropping at a rate of about 2%, an rate considered statistically significant. The US goal is to have no more than 4.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, about half the current rate.

Additional statistics released today include:

• The risk of losing a baby before its first birthday is 2.4 times higher for non-Hispanic black women than for non-Hispanic white women.
• The 2005 infant mortality rate for non-Hispanic black women was 13.63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births; for non-Hispanic white women, it was 5.76.
• The infant mortality rate for Puerto Rican women was 8.30.
• For American Indian women, it was 8.06.

No significant change in infant mortality rate was noted between 2000 and 2005 in the US but an increasing number of premature (preterm) births and preterm-related infant deaths within the first year of life are thought to be responsible for keeping the US infant mortality rate high.

Source: CDC