North Carolina’s child mortality rate ranked among the highest in the nation in 2024, according to new data highlighted by the N.C. Child Fatality Task Force. According to ncnewsline.com, the state recorded the 12th-highest child death rate in the country, up from 17th the previous year. Excluding infants, North Carolina’s child death rate was 27.5 deaths per 100,000 children, compared to the national rate of 21.8.

State health officials say motor vehicle crashes, other accidental injuries, and homicides were the leading causes of death among children ages 1 to 17. Teenagers ages 16 and 17 had the highest rates of fatal vehicle crashes, while firearm-related homicides accounted for nearly three-quarters of child homicide deaths over the past five years.

The published report says in all, 1,386 North Carolina children died in 2024, including infants. More than half of those deaths occurred before a child’s first birthday. The Child Fatality Task Force will use the findings to guide recommendations for policies and laws aimed at reducing child deaths across the state.