Cesarean section rates continued to rise in 2025, reaching a decade-high, while the nation’s fertility rate hit its lowest point in at least 25 years, new CDC data shows.
The agency’s National Center for Health Statistics released provisional data on U.S. birth trends April 9. For hospital leaders, the trends signal continued pressure on obstetric service lines, as rising C-section rates alongside shrinking birth volumes present a complex planning challenge for labor and delivery service lines.
Four report findings:
1. The U.S. recorded 3.6 million births in 2025, a 1% decline from 2024. The birth rate among teenagers fell 7% year over year to a record low of 11.7 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 19.
2. The nation’s fertility rate decreased to 53.1 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2025, down from 53.8 in 2024. This rate was 67.5 per 1,000 in 2000 and has been steadily declining since 2007. Initially, experts attributed the decline to the Great Recession, but the rate has continued to fall long after the economy recovered, The New York Times reported.
3. Meanwhile, the nation’s C-section rate increased slightly from 32.4% in 2024 to 32.5% in 2025. The current rate represents the highest since 2013, continuing an upward trend that began in 2020. The low-risk C-section rate also increased to 26.9%, representing the highest figure since 2012.
4. The preterm birth rate held steady at 10.41% between 2024 and 2025.
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