Rati Ram
In the context of large differences in the Infant Mortality Rates (IMRs) of Blacks and Whites in the United States, changes in the rates for the two groups over the period 2007-2014 are compared. The comparisons indicate four main points. First, the declines for the entire United States are fairly similar at 16.7% and 14.3% for Blacks and Whites respectively. Second, the excess of decline in Black IMR during the period is considerably smaller than that during 2000-2007 when the declines were 6.4% and 1.8% for Blacks and Whites respectively. Third, there is huge diversity in the levels of IMR, and the rates of declines, across the U.S. states and the two races. For example, of the 34 states for which comparisons could be made, the decline in Black IMR is smaller than in White IMR for 13 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Washington. There are two states (Alabama and Washington) where Black IMR increased during the period while White IMR declined. Fourth, therefore, the US government's goal of eliminating racial disparities in IMRs (and other health indicators) is unlikely to be reached in the foreseeable future. Consequently, the position of the United States in the global rankings of IMRs is unlikely to improve much in the near future.