Infant mortality rate increases 3% in 2022, rising for 1st time in 2 decades: CDC

• The infant mortality rate in the U.S. increased by 3% in 2022, marking the first year-to-year rise since 2001-2002, with a rate of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
• The increase in infant mortality rates is associated with factors such as maternity care deserts and the limitation of access to abortion, particularly after the Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson decision.
• Statistically significant increases in infant mortality were observed among infants born to American Indian/Alaskan Native women and white women.
• Four states—Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, and Texas—experienced significant increases in infant mortality rates, while Nevada saw a decrease.
• There were significant increases in mortality rates for two leading causes of infant death: maternal complications and bacterial sepsis, attributed in part to the closure of labor and delivery wards and the resulting lack of specialized care.