FILE – In this photo illustration, a pregnant woman prepares to travel. (Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the birth rate among U.S. women fell in 2023.
The general fertility rate fell 3% last year to 55 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44, the lowest on record compared with 2022.
According to CDC data, just over 3.5 million babies will be born in 2023, representing a 3% decline in birth rates compared to 2022, when more than 3.6 billion babies were born.
Related: US birth rate drops to lowest on record, CDC says – what it means
Teen birth rates are set to fall by 2023, according to CDC data, and have fallen by two-thirds since 2007.
The birth rate for 15-19 year olds is expected to fall 4% from 2022 to 2023, while the birth rate for 15-17 year olds fell 2% last year.
Meanwhile, the birth rate for 18- to 19-year-olds is expected to fall by 5% from 2022 to 2023, the report noted.
Since 2007, when birth rates reached their most recent high, the number of births has fallen by 17 percent and the general fertility rate has plummeted by 21 percent, according to the CDC.
Related: U.S. maternal mortality rates declining, but racial disparities remain: CDC data
Moreover, the report notes that by 2023, most pregnant women will receive prenatal care from the beginning of their pregnancy.
But in recent years, the number of women seeking care late after giving birth or not at all has been on the rise: About 2.3% of pregnant women didn’t get prenatal care last year, a 5% increase from 2022, according to the CDC. And about 5% of women only got prenatal care later in their pregnancy.
