Purpose
SUID rates by race and ethnicity, 2017-2022
SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data.
This line chart shows SUID rates by race and ethnicity in the United States from 2017 through 2022.
Overall, during 2017—2022:
- SUID rates per 100,000 live births were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native infants (230.3 in 2017 and 229.4 in 2022) and non-Hispanic Black infants (192.4 in 2017 to 244.0 in 2022) and non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander infants* (137.9 in 2017 and 237.1 in 2022).
- SUID rates per 100,000 live births for non-Hispanic infants of more than one race were 161.4 in 2017 and 176.5 in 2022.
- SUID rates per 100,000 live births were lowest among non-Hispanic White infants (85.7 in 2017 and 83.2 in 2022), Hispanic infants (56.0 in 2017 and 61.6 in 2022), and non-Hispanic Asian infants (18.5 in 2017 in 31.5 in 2022).
*When the number of deaths is <20, rates may be unreliable. The number of SUID deaths for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander infants was <20 in 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The sudden unexpected infant death rate includes sudden infant death syndrome, unknown cause, and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. Period linked birth/ infant death data show maternal race and ethnicity as reported on the infant's birth certificate. All records that indicated Hispanic ethnicity are classified as Hispanic regardless of race. For brevity, text does not include the term "single-race."