Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently argued that despite massive financial investments in healthcare, the United States is failing its youth on an unprecedented scale.
Speaking at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 10, Kennedy stated, “This country pays two to three times what every developing nation in the world pays, and yet we have the sickest children in the history of the world. We have the highest chronic disease burden ever recorded.”
This analysis examines the specific claim that American youth are the “sickest children in the history of the world.”
PolitiFact reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for supporting data but did not receive an immediate response. Kennedy has made this assertion previously, including during a 2024 campaign rally.
However, this sweeping declaration completely overlooks the dramatic decline in childhood mortality and infectious illnesses achieved since the 19th century.
Throughout most of human history, roughly half of all children died before reaching puberty, primarily driven by infectious diseases. In past centuries, children globally and domestically fell ill and passed away at rates vastly higher than they do today.
For perspective, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that in 1900, 1 in every 5 children in the United States died before turning 5. By 2018, that figure had plummeted to 24 deaths per 100,000 children aged 1 through 4.
The monumental reduction in 20th-century childhood mortality is largely attributed to improved sanitation, vaccines, and antibiotics. Furthermore, a 2024 study estimated that global vaccination efforts have prevented 146 million deaths among children under 5 since 1974.
When measured against developing nations, American children experience significantly better health outcomes. The under-5 mortality rate in the U.S. is roughly 80% lower than the global average. Additionally, major international drivers of childhood mortality, such as malaria and severe diarrhea, are virtually nonexistent in the United States.
That said, modern American youth face distinct challenges. While historical context proves that children today are far less likely to succumb to infectious diseases, certain metrics reveal that domestic pediatric health has deteriorated in specific ways, lagging behind peers in other wealthy nations.
A 2024 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concluded that the U.S. “ranks at the bottom among wealthy nations on the mental wellbeing, physical health, and academic and social skills of children.”
Similarly, a 2025 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that from 2007 to 2022, the mortality rate for U.S. children and teenagers aged 1 to 19 was 80% higher than their counterparts in comparable high-income countries.
Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and UCLA found that the mortality gap between American youth and those in other developed countries is most pronounced in firearm-related incidents and traffic accidents. Specifically, U.S. children were found to be 15 times more likely to die from a gunshot wound than peers in other wealthy nations.
The research also noted an upward trend in chronic conditions—such as obesity, sleep disorders, and mental health struggles—among U.S. children over recent decades, showing a 15% to 20% increase in chronic ailments between 2011 and 2023. However, chronic illness represents only one facet of overall health, and available data simply does not support Kennedy’s hyperbole.
Additionally, the data shows that U.S. infants face a 78% higher likelihood of mortality compared to newborns in other developed nations, with premature birth, congenital defects, sudden unexpected infant death, and respiratory infections occurring more frequently.
Our Ruling
Kennedy asserted that the United States is home to the “sickest children in the history of the world.”
Historical records show that prior to 19th- and 20th-century breakthroughs in medicine and sanitation, roughly half of all children worldwide perished, largely due to infectious diseases.
While recent data indicates rising rates of chronic conditions and higher overall mortality rates for U.S. children compared to those in other wealthy nations, Kennedy’s claim completely disregards centuries of massive progress in reducing childhood illness and mortality. Declaring that American children are the sickest in history is demonstrably false.
We rate this claim False.