US fertility rate dipped to record low in 2023, CDC data finds
FILE-In this photo illustration a pregnant woman prepares to travel. (Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)
Birth rates for women in the United States declined in 2023 based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The general fertility rate fell 3% last year, a record low compared to 2022, to 55 births for every 1,000 females ages 15-44.
In 2023, a little more than 3.5 million babies were born, representing a 3% drop in birth rates compared to 2022 when over 3.6 billion babies were born, per the CDC data.
RELATED: US fertility rate drops to record low, CDC says – here’s what that means
CDC data also shows that teen birth rates dropped in 2023, which has declined two-thirds since 2007.
Birth rates for teens 15-19 fell 4% from 2022 to 2023, while birth rates for teens 15-17 years old dropped 2% last year.
Meanwhile, birth rates for teenagers 18-19 dipped 5% from 2022 to 2023, the report notes.
According to the CDC, since 2007, when the fertility rate was at a recent high, the number of births has declined 17%, and the general fertility rate plummeted 21%.
RELATED: Maternal mortality rate in U.S. declines, but racial disparities remain: CDC data
Additionally, the report points out that most pregnant women received prenatal care starting in their first trimester in 2023.
However, the number of women who receive care later – or not at all – has increased in recent years. According to the CDC, roughly 2.3% of pregnant women had no prenatal care last year, an increase of 5% from 2022. And almost 5% of women had prenatal care in only their third trimester.