Babies too costly? US births drop to lowest in over 40 years

The number of births in the United States fell to 3.596 million in 2023, the lowest level in more than 40 years, continuing a long-term trend of smaller families. This represents a 2% decline from 2022, according to a report released by the US National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) on Tuesday, confirming preliminary figures published last year.

Global births have been declining, with political instability and economic uncertainty discouraging people from having children, Bloomberg reported. Earlier this month, the European Union reported that births fell to 3.6 million in 2023, a 5% decline not seen in over 60 years. In China, the number of births dropped to 9.5 million last year, the second-lowest figure since the country’s establishment in 1949.

Bloomberg said, high healthcare costs in the US have made people more cautious about starting families, according to Sarah Hayford, director of the Institute for Population Research at Ohio State University. General concerns over politics, the economy, and climate change have also played a role in delaying parenthood.


“When people are worried about the future, they often put off having children,” she said.

Women of childbearing age saw declining or unchanged birth rates across different age groups in 2023, continuing recent patterns. The largest drops were among women aged 15 to 24, with many prioritising education over parenthood, Hayford said. The average age of first-time mothers rose to 27.5 years, the highest on record in the US.

Teen birth rates fell by 4% from 2022 and have declined by 68% since 2007.

The total fertility rate stood at 1.6 births per woman, continuing a downward trend that has seen a 2% decline each year since 2008. This level of fertility suggests that the US will have to rely on immigration to sustain its current population.

The NCHS, a unit of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, compiled the report based on birth certificate data.

(with agency inputs)