Child abuse in the U.S. - number of fatalities, by race/ethnicity 2021

In the United States, more white children died due to abuse or maltreatment in 2021. In 2021, around 457 African-American children died due to abuse or maltreatment, compared to 550 white children. However, the rate of African-American children who died due to abuse stood at 5.6 deaths per 1,000 children, compared to 1.94 deaths per 1,000 children for white children.

Number of child fatalities due to abuse or maltreatment in the United States in 2021, by race/ethnicity

Characteristic	Number of victims
White	550
African-American	457
Hispanic	173
Two or more races	104
Unknown	51
Asian	18
American Indian or Alaska Native	10
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	2

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Release date

February 2023

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Region

United States

Survey time period

2021

Supplementary notes

Based on State submissions to National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) of alleged child abuse and neglect. NCANDS collects case level data on children who received child protective services response in the form of an investigative or alternative response. Each state has its own definition of child abuse and neglect based on standards set by federal law. Child abuse is defined as any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk or serious harm.

Values include only those states that reported both victim race and ethnicity.

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