What to know
- The United States does not have a national birth defects tracking system.
- Most states have birth defects tracking systems that monitor selected birth defects.
- Data from these state systems have been used to estimate how often birth defects occur in the United States.
- These tables show the current national estimates of certain major birth defects in the United States.
FastStats
Brain/Spine Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Eye Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Heart Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Double outlet right ventricle (DORV)
1 in 4,237 births
867
Ebstein anomaly
1 in 12,916 births
284
Interrupted aortic arch (IAA)
1 in 10,058 births
365
Single Ventricle
1 in 15,356 births
239
Transposition of the great arteries (TGA)
1 in 3,348 births
1,097
Mouth/Face Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Cleft lip alone
1 in 2,963 births
1,240
Cleft palate alone
1 in 1,583 births
2,321
Muscle/Bone Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Clubfoot
1 in 536 births
6,850
Stomach/Intestine Defects
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Rectal and large intestinal atresia/stenosis
1 in 2,220 births
1,654
Chromosome (Gene) Malformations
Specific defects
How often do they occur?
How many babies are affected each year?
Trisomy 13
1 in 6,967 births
527
Trisomy 18
1 in 3,336 births
1,101