Preliminary data shows Indiana infant mortality remains steady at record low in 2025

Indiana’s infant mortality rate remained at a record low in 2025, per preliminary data from the state Department of Health.

The rate of 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births stayed essentially the same from last year. As of April this year, there were 500 infant deaths in Indiana in 2025, while there were 509 in 2024. That’s the lowest rate in Indiana since record keeping began in 1900, according to the IDOH.

“The loss of every baby is a tragedy,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Lindsay Weaver said in a press release. “We always want to see that number go down, but we are encouraged to see Indiana has maintained its current historic low infant mortality rate and the lives of nine more babies were saved.”

Infant mortality is the death of a child before their first birthday. The health of the mother often contributes to infant mortality, according to the IDOH, including factors like obesity, substance use, maternal stress and smoking during pregnancy. Leading causes of infant death in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, included birth defects, preterm births and low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries and maternal pregnancy complications.

Still, Indiana’s record low is above national levels. The U.S. infant mortality rate in 2025 was 5.36 per 1,000 live births, according to the CDC — a year-over-year decrease of over 3%. The state had the 16th-highest infant mortality rate in the country in 2024.

As recently as 2016, Infant mortality in Indiana was 7.4 per 1,000 live births, according to the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center. Nationally, infant mortality among Black and Native American populations is higher than average.

The IDOH highlighted initiatives to lower infant mortality, including supporting services like breastfeeding programs and safe sleep education. The department also pointed to its Perinatal Levels of Care, which certifies hospitals based on the degree of obstetric and neonatal services they provide, as well as Health First Indiana, state funding for local health programs approved in 2023 and scaled back in 2025. 

”Promoting maternal and infant health outcomes is a top priority of the Indiana Department of Health,” Weaver said. “We are committed to ensuring this critical work continues.”