U.S. Birth Rate Falls to Lowest in Decades

Nov. 27, 2019 — The U.S. birth rate declined again in 2018, falling to its lowest in more than three decades, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday.

It said there were 3,791,712 births registered in 2018, a 2% decrease from 2017, NBC News reported.

Too few babies are being born to sustain the U.S. population.

The fertility rate in 2018 was 1,729.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. For the nation’s population to remain stable, the rate would need to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women, the CDC said.

It also found that women are waiting longer to have children. Birth rates among women in their 20s and early 30s declined, but rose slightly among women 35 to 44, NBC News reported.

The birth rate among girls aged 15 to 19 fell 7%, from 18.8 births per 1,000 in 2017 to 17.4 births per 1,000 in 2018.