Infant deaths are deaths that occur among children less than one year of age. They are tragic losses for parents, families and societies as a whole.  Infant mortality refers to the overall number of infant deaths that occur in a population. It serves as a globally-accepted indicator of the overall health of a population due to its association with the underlying health, poverty and socioeconomic status of that population as well as the quality of its health care system.  Connecticut's Infant Mortality Rate declined at an average rate of 2.5% per year between 2005 and 2018, with the provisional 2020 rate of 4.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births on track to be the lowest recorded in state history.

Annual data are current through 2021.  2022 data are provisional.

Date of next data update: Aug 15th, 2024

Connecticut Department of Public Health; State Department of Education; Connecticut Department of Social Services; Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services; Connecticut Department of Children and Families; Commission on Children; health care providers; health care facilities; health insurers; professional associations for nursing, dieticians, and pharmacists; organizations and coalitions that support women and infants; community service providers that address at-risk populations; schools of public health, allied health, nursing, and medicine.

Efforts to reduce low birth weight and prematurity will simultaneously work to reduce infant mortality. Examples of best practices or evidence-based models to improve the rate or meet the target include preconception/ interconception interventions, smoking cessation programs, safe sleep practices, the delay of elective inductions and C-section deliveries to 39+ weeks gestation, and home visiting support.

Healthy People 2020

For current year priority strategies and actions, click here (right click to open link).

SHIP Strategies:

These potential strategies align with the State Plan to Improve Birth Outcomes to be released.

Address implementation of health promotion efforts.

Promote Social Equity.

Improve access to healthcare for women before, during, and after pregnancy.

Address quality of care for all women and infants.

Address improving maternal risk screening for all women of reproductive age.

Enhance service integration for women and infants.

Develop data systems to understand and inform efforts