Perinatal Mortality in the United States, 2020-2021

Perinatal mortality(late fetal deaths at 28 completed weeks of gestation or more and early neonatal deaths younger than age 7 days) can be an indicator of the quality of health care before, during, and after delivery, and of the health status of the nation (1,2). The U.S. perinatal mortality rate declined 30% from 1990 through 2011, was stable from 2011 through 2016, and declined 4% from 2017 through 2019 (1,3-5). This report describes changes in perinatal mortality, as well as its components, late fetal and early neonatal mortality, from 2020 to 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Also shown are perinatal mortality rates by mother's age, the three largest race and Hispanic-origin groups, and state for 2021 compared with 2020.