HMN 2026: How children in the US die at higher rates than peers in other high-income nations

At every age, children in the United States die at higher rates than peers in other high-income nations, according to a new study from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Findings from the study were presented during the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2026 Meeting, taking place April 24–27 in Boston.

The study found that the U.S. mortality disadvantage emerged as early as 1952 among older adolescents and has persisted for more than five decades. While both the U.S. and peer nations made dramatic gains over the 20th century, peer nations improved at a faster pace—particularly in the postwar decades.

By 2023, the gap was largest among 15- to 19-year-olds, with males in that age group accounting for nearly one-third of excess U.S. child deaths. Between 1975 and 2023, the U.S. experienced approximately 800,000 excess child deaths compared to peer nations—equivalent to roughly 45 excess child deaths every day.

Findings point to adolescent injury, violence, and self-harm prevention, as well as maternal and infant health supports, as high-priority policy targets.

“We found that the U.S. child mortality disadvantage has persisted for decades and is now increasingly concentrated among older adolescents, particularly males,” said Lauren J. Koenigsberg, program manager at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and lead author of the study.

“These findings highlight an urgent need to address preventable causes of death—especially injury, violence and self-harm—where the U.S. continues to lag behind peer nations.”

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia previously reported that childhood mortality in the United States is 80% higher than in 18 peer nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD18). The current study extends that work by examining when this gap first emerged, how durable it has been across nearly nine decades, and which age and sex groups have contributed most.

Provided by

American Pediatric Society