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.
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