KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - In 2021, data from the Tennessee Department of Health reveals 505 babies died in the state before their first birthday. The department states “that’s the equivalent of nearly 26 kindergarten classrooms.”

The number held largely steady in 2022; the state’s Child Fatality 2024 report states there were 541 infant deaths that year, with an infant mortality rate of 6.6, compared to 6.2 in 2021. The report notes that difference isn’t statistically significant.

Related Coverage: Study finding 2,000 pediatric deaths may be preventable yearly highlights importance of child healthcare in East Tennessee

Tennessee ranked above the national rate of 5.61 and was the 16th highest infant mortality rate in the US in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prev

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