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The fertility rate in the United States reached a record low in 2023, as women gave birth to babies less frequently, according to data from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The US fertility rate has been steadily declining for decades, with a particularly sharp drop after the Great Recession of 2008.
While a slight increase was observed in 2021, the birth rate has quickly returned to its consistent downward trajectory.
In 2023, the US fertility rate fell another three per cent from the previous year, reaching a historic low of approximately 55 births per 1,000 females aged from 15 to 44.
The total number of births in the US last year was around 3.6 million, a decrease of 68,000 from the year before. Since 2007, when the fertility rate was at its most recent high, the number of births had declined by 17%, and the general fertility rate had declined by 21%.
The decline in fertility rates is attributed to a combination of social and economic factors, including people getting married later and less often, spending more time in education, and taking longer to establish themselves economically in stable jobs.
