After two consecutive years of increases, the number of births in the United States declined by 2 percent in 2023, coinciding with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, 3,596,017 babies were born in 2023. This represents a decrease from the 3,667,758 births recorded in 2022 and the 3,664,292 in 2021.
This drop in the birth rate is double the average annual decline of 1 percent seen between 2014 and 2019 but is only half of the 4 percent decline observed from 2019 to 2020. The CDC also reported that abortion rates increased by 5 percent in 2021, the year before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. However, these figures may not fully capture the total number of abortions due to incomplete or absent reporting in some states.
The report noted a 3 percent decline in the fertility rate for women aged 15 to 44, with 54.5 births per 1,000 women in 2023, down from 56.0 in 2022 and 56.3 in 2021. Fertility rates in the U.S. have been declining for the past decade, ranging from a 2 percent to a 4 percent annual decrease.
“Since the most recent high in 2007, the number of births has declined 17%, and the general fertility rate has declined 21%,” the report states. The report did not attempt to explain the reasons behind the ongoing decline in birth and fertility rates, a trend that has been observed in American society since the 1970s and which accelerated during the economic downturn of 2008 to 2009, as noted by ABC News.
The report also highlighted a concerning decrease in the number of women receiving prenatal care, which is widely recognized as essential for a healthy pregnancy. The Office on Women’s Health, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, warns that inadequate prenatal care can lead to low birth weight and a fivefold increase in the risk of infant mortality.
Teen pregnancies have also declined, with the pregnancy rate for teens aged 15-19 falling by 4 percent from 2022 and 6 percent from 2021. Globally, birth rates have also dropped since the COVID-19 pandemic, a trend that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has called “the biggest threat” to humanity, warning of a potential “population collapse.” Musk has repeatedly urged people to have more children.