U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Far Behind That of Europe, Canada

In fact, the infant mortality rate in the U.S. is worse than in 29 other countries, including practically all of Europe, Canada and Australia. These figures come from a report just released from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to statistics, nearly 7 U.S. infants die for every 1,000 born, a 36 percent rise since 1984. Compare that to the best countries, which range between 2.1 and 2.8 babies per 1,000. Those would be Singapore, Sweden, Hong Kong and Japan.

In terms of the question of why, many simply put the blame on lack of universal health care. That may be true, but one has to examine and use common sense to see it. In fact, the high number of American premature births, those before 37 weeks, is given as the biggest reason. That links right back to health care, if you think about it.

In countries with universal health care, prenatal care is a given. There is no worry about who pays for the prenatal care; it's all paid for. So while the numbers point to the premature births, the premature births themselves point to a lack of universal health care, as those with preexisting conditions are more likely to experience premature birth.

Of course, that's still just one possible cause. Older mothers and young teen mothers also face higher risks. The U.S. has greater numbers of those than other countries.

At any rate, the CDC indicates that the issues need more study. The only clear thing is that the U.S. position in this list is falling. In 1960, the nation ranked 12th. Whether the drop is due to worsening U.S. statistics, or better worldwide statistics, or a combination, is unclear.