Infant mortality in the U.S. fell to an all-time low in 2025 thanks to antibody shots and RSV vaccines |
Infant mortality in the U.S. fell to an all-time low in 2025 thanks to antibody shots and RSV vaccines
Infant mortality in the U.S. dropped to a new all-time low in 2025, according to preliminary government data.
There were slightly fewer than 5.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While that appears to be a small decline from about 5.5 in 2024 and 5.6 in the two years preceding, researchers say it is statistically meaningful and translates to hundreds of fewer infant deaths per year.
It’s difficult to pinpoint what’s driving the recent developments, but “this is an encouraging data point, and we hope that this trend will continue,” said Dr. Michael Warren, chief medical and health officer for the March of Dimes.
Infant mortality is the measure of how many babies die before reaching their first birthday. Because the number of babies born in the U.S. varies year to year, researchers calculate rates to compare infant mortality over time.
The overall numbers, too, have been going down. U.S. infant deaths fell to about 19,350 last year, according........