Infant mortality rate in United States

United States: Infant mortality rate was 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
0.5482 deaths per 100 live births
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
145th
of 199 countries
All-time high
3.32 deaths per 100 live births
in 1949
All-time low
0.5482 deaths per 100 live births
in 2024
Years of data
76
1949–2024

Infant mortality rate in United States, 1949–2024

123194919862024

Source: United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths per 100 live births.

Analysis

In 2024, infant mortality rate in United States stood at 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births. That is the lowest value across all 76 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and down 6.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infant mortality rate in United States peaked at 3.32 deaths per 100 live births in 1949 and was at its lowest, 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births, in 2024.

United States ranks 145th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 3.32 deaths per 100 live births 3.32 deaths per 100 live births 3.32 deaths per 100 live births 1
1950s 2.9 deaths per 100 live births 2.64 deaths per 100 live births 3.23 deaths per 100 live births 10
1960s 2.35 deaths per 100 live births 2.07 deaths per 100 live births 2.59 deaths per 100 live births 10
1970s 1.64 deaths per 100 live births 1.31 deaths per 100 live births 1.99 deaths per 100 live births 10
1980s 1.09 deaths per 100 live births 0.9655 deaths per 100 live births 1.26 deaths per 100 live births 10
1990s 0.8155 deaths per 100 live births 0.7222 deaths per 100 live births 0.9377 deaths per 100 live births 10
2000s 0.677 deaths per 100 live births 0.6354 deaths per 100 live births 0.7118 deaths per 100 live births 10
2010s 0.5827 deaths per 100 live births 0.5524 deaths per 100 live births 0.6232 deaths per 100 live births 10
2020s 0.5491 deaths per 100 live births 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births 0.5498 deaths per 100 live births 5

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 142 Montserrat 0.6063 deaths per 100 live births compare
  2. 143 Romania 0.6004 deaths per 100 live births compare
  3. 144 Chile 0.5798 deaths per 100 live births compare
  4. 146 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.548 deaths per 100 live births compare
  5. 147 Slovakia 0.5322 deaths per 100 live births compare
  6. 148 Anguilla 0.5197 deaths per 100 live births compare

See the full ranking of 199 places →

More health data for United States

All data for United States →

Frequently asked questions

What is infant mortality rate in United States?
Infant mortality rate in United States was 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births in 2024, according to United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest infant mortality rate recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 3.32 deaths per 100 live births in 1949.
What is the lowest infant mortality rate recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5482 deaths per 100 live births in 2024.
How does United States rank for infant mortality rate?
United States ranks 145th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
Is infant mortality rate rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Infant mortality rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Infant mortality rate
Unit
deaths per 100 live births
Source
United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
199 places, 13,185 data points, 1931–2024
Last refreshed

The estimated number of deaths of children aged under one year, per 100 live births .