(NewsNation) — Women are having babies less often as the birth rate in the United States continues to decline, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The general fertility rate dropped 3% last year, reaching a record low of 55 births for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, compared to 2022, per the data. In 2023, just over 3.5 million babies were born, marking a 3% decrease in birth rates compared to 2022, when more than 3.6 billion babies were born. It follows a 2% decline from 2021.
The U.S. fertility rate has been on a downward trend for decades.
The data revealed that teen birth rates declined in 2023, continuing a trend that began in 2007.
Birth rates for teens aged 15 to 19 declined by 4% from 2022 to 2023, with a 2% drop for those aged 15 to 17 and a 5% decline for teens aged 18 to 19.
Since 2007, when the fertility rate was at a recent high, the number of births has declined by 17%, and the general rate has dropped by 21%, per the CDC data.
