In 2023, there were 3.6 million births in the U.S. — the lowest the birth rate has been since 1979 when 3.5 million were recorded — according to data published March 18.
The birth rate fell 2% compared to 2022, following a decadeslong decline in U.S. births. The data, compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics, also showed a 3% decrease in the general fertility rate, from 56 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2022 to 54.5 births per 1,000 in 2023.
A record high in 2023 was the mean age of mothers at first birth, at 27.5 years old.
Among females ages 15 to 19, the birth rate hit a record low and fell 4% between 2022 and 2023. The rate increased less than 1% among 20- to 24-year-olds, fell 1% to 3% for those 25 to 44, and remained unchanged for those 10 to 14 and 45 to 49 years of age.
Soaring healthcare costs in the U.S. are prompting Americans to delay having children, and political instability is causing birth rates across the world to decline, according to a March 18 report from Bloomberg.
