The Alabama Department of Public Health announced the 2022 Alabama infant mortality rate was 6.7 deaths per 1,000 live births, a decrease from the 7.6 rate in 2021. Alabama's infant mortality rate, however, remains higher than the provisional U.S. rate which is 5.6. While Alabama’s rate improved, the national rate trended upward for the first time in 20 years.
State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said, “I am pleased that the 2022 infant mortality rate has decreased to the lowest rate ever. The enduring disparity between birth outcomes for black and white mothers, however, is disturbing. Despite advances in healthcare, the black infant mortality rate is consistently twice the rate for white mothers.”
Statistics regarding Alabama births and pregnancies include the following:
- There were 58,040 births in Alabama in 2021 and 58,162 in 2022. There were 443 infant deaths in 2021 and 391 in 2022.
- Overall births to teenagers continue to decline.
- The percentage of births with maternal smoking was 4.8 in 2022, a decrease from 6.1 in 2021 and the lowest percentage recorded.