04/29/2024

U.S. Births in 2023 Fell to Lowest in Decades

This level has not been seen in 45 years

U.S. births declined in 2023 to their lowest level in more than 40 years, continuing a two-decade trend of Americans having fewer children.

Total births for the year fell 2 percent to 3.59 million, according to preliminary data released Thursday from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a level not seen since 1979, when about 3.4 million U.S. babies were born. The rate of U.S. women of child-bearing age having babies is the lowest since the center began compiling statistics, said Brady Hamilton, an NCHS demographer and lead author of the report.

Birth rates in countries around the world have been declining, mainly in wealthier nations, as economic instability and uncertainty over events like the pandemic discourage people from having children. While countries including France and China have taken measures to try to encourage couples to have children, U.S. birth rates have been stifled by forces like lack of paid family leave and skyrocketing health costs.

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