By the Numbers: Cradle crisis?

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Measuring troubling trends in premature births and infant mortality

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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12%

The increase in the U.S. rate of premature singleton births from 2014 to 2022 according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics. The latest data points to ongoing concerns about maternal and newborn health.

8.67%

The share of singleton babies born before 37 weeks gestational age in the U.S. in 2022. Black women were more likely than white women to give birth prematurely—12.34 percent versus 7.64 percent respectively.

34.69

The infant mortality rate—measuring when a baby dies within a year of birth—per 1,000 live births for babies born prior to 37 weeks in 2022, up 3 percent from 2021, according to the NCHS.

20,538

The number of babies overall who died after birth but prior to their first birthday in the United States in 2022—610 more than the previous year.

Family & Society