For the first time in 20 years, the infant mortality rate rose in 2022 — hitting 5.6 infant deaths for every 1,000 births. Health experts were alarmed, but as of the second quarter of 2025, the rate is now closer to its prepandemic level, standing at 5.4, according to provisional estimates.
The relatively high rate in the U.S. can be attributed to stressful environmental factors, according to Dr. Atheendar Venkataramani, a health economist at the University of Pennsylvania. When a mother is exposed to poverty or crime or cannot receive basic care during a pregnancy, it can be detrimental to the health of the unborn child. Progress in those areas appears stagnant in the U.S., Dr. Venkataramani said, making the infant mortality rate an indicator of much more than just the health of babies.
“It’s really like looking in the mirror of society when you look at those numbers,” he said.