Total births in the U.S. for the year fell to 3.6 million, declining by 2% since 2022. The data published by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics confirm preliminary data released last year.
The total number of births in the U.S. has not been this low since 1979, when 3.5 million births were recorded.
The total fertility rate, a rough estimate of the number of children an average woman would give birth to during her lifetime, also fell to 1.6 births per woman. This follows the trend of a general decrease by 2% each year since 2007.
A falling total fertility rate, a key metric for determining the future of population levels, means the U.S. population will shrink absent net immigration.
The general decline in birth and fertility rates is reflective of the growing global trend of women delaying or forgoing having children.
Women are also having children later in life, with the average first-time mother being 27.5 years old, a record high, according to the NCHS report.
The birth rate for women in their early 40s has declined by 1% since 2022, but it has generally risen yearly since 1985. By contrast, the birth rate for women in their 30s has fallen by 3% since 2022 and has fallen by about 1% every year since 2017.
Teenage birth rates dropped precipitously, by 4% in 2022, and have plunged by 68% since 2007.
Both sides of the aisle have suggested policy initiatives that would increase the birth rate by incentivizing parenthood, such as increasing the child tax credit and subsidizing in vitro fertilization.
Republicans have also floated the idea of issuing tax credits to pregnant women to help balance the cost of prenatal medical care.
According to the report, the use of prenatal care for pregnant women also decreased from 2022 to 2023.
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Prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy fell by 1% to only 76% of pregnant women, regardless of age or race. Beginning prenatal care in the third trimester or receiving no prenatal care at all increased by 3% in 2023, higher than any year since national data became available.
According to the report, Medicaid was the source of payment for nearly 42% of births in the U.S.
