A report released earlier this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that U.S. births fell by 71,741, or 2%, from 2022 to 2023.
In the nearly two decades since the Great Recession began in 2007, births have fallen 17% and have yet to recover. The data shows that the general fertility rate (the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44) has fallen 21% since 2007.
Falling birth rates are an economic problem for several reasons. Having fewer children affects school enrollment, budgets, the pipeline of the future workforce, and economic growth. Fewer workers mean fewer taxpayers to pay off the government debt and support government programs like Social Security.
The government’s key findings include:
- Fertility rates among 15-19 year olds continue to decline, especially among late teenage mothers. Fertility rates among 15-17 year olds fell 2% between 2022 and 2023. Fertility rates among 18-19 year olds fell 5% between 2022 and 2023, and have fallen 8% since 2021.
- The U.S. general fertility rate will decrease 3% in 2023 from 56.0 in 2022 to 54.5 per 1,000 women (ages 15-44).
- The proportion of women initiating care early in pregnancy declined in 2023, down 3% from its most recent high in 2021.
- The proportion of women who received care late or no care increased from 2021 to 2023. Pregnancies who received care late and no care have been steadily increasing since 2016.
of CDC Report The report on birth and fertility rates uses data from the National Vital Statistics System and does not speculate on reasons for the decline in birth and fertility rates.
