Infant Mortality and American Indians/Alaska Natives

• In 2022, the infant mortality rate for American Indians/Alaska Natives was two times the rate for non-Hispanic whites.¹
• American Indian/Alaska Native infants were 3.2 times more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and 1.8 times more likely to die from congenital malformations than non-Hispanic white infants in 2022.²
• In 2022, American Indian/Alaska Native mothers were almost three times more likely to receive late or no prenatal care than non-Hispanic white mothers.³
• American Indian/Alaska Native mothers were two times more likely to have smoked during pregnancy than non-Hispanic white mothers in 2022.⁴

Infant Mortality Rate

Infant mortality, rate per 1,000 live births, 2022
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
9.1	4.5	2.0

Infant mortality by age of mother, rate per 1,000 live births, 2022
Age of Mother	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Under 20 years	--	10.5	--
20–24 years	9.5	6.5	1.5
25–29 years	7.7	4.3	1.8
30–34 years	8.2	3.7	2.2
35–39 years	11.8	3.7	3.2
40-54 years	--	5.4	--

Leading Causes of Infant Mortality

Infant mortality rate for the top 5 leading causes of death for American Indians/Alaska Natives, rate per 100,000 live births, 2022
Cause of Death	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
(1) Congenital Malformations	178.8	99.6	1.8
(2) Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)	105.0	32.8	3.2
(3) Low Birthweight	--	51.9	--
(4) Accidents (unintentional injuries)	--	33.7	--
(5) Maternal complications of pregnancy	--	21.7	--

Medical and Health Characteristics of Births

Mother received late or no prenatal care, percentage, 2022
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
12.6	4.7	2.7

Mother smoked during pregnancy, percentage, 2022
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native	Non-Hispanic White	Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / Non-Hispanic White Ratio
11.0	5.4	2.0

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¹ CDC, 2024. Infant Mortality in the United States, 2022: Data from the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 73, no. 5. Table 2. (back)

² CDC, 2024. Infant Mortality in the United States, 2022: Data from the Period Linked Birth/Infant Death File. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 73, no. 5. Table 4. (back)

³ CDC, 2024. Births: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 73, no. 2. Tables 13 and 14. (back)

⁴ CDC, 2024. Births: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports, vol. 73, no. 2. Tables 13 and 14. (back)