Birth Rates in US Have Fallen to Record Low, According to New Report

Birth rates in the U.S. have reached a record low, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

According to the report, 3,853,472 babies were born in the U.S. in 2017. It is the fewest number in 30 years. The fertility rate also fell to 1.76 births per woman.

In comparison, the birth rate was 4.31 million in 2007, according to the Institute for Family Studies.The 2007 fertility rate was 2.08 births per woman.

“Race, ethnicity, marital status, and geography are the best predictors of changes in fertility over the last decade,” Lyman Stone, a research fellow at the institute, said. “Fertility declines are most strongly associated with factors that are race- or region-specific, not broadly class-specific, as different economic classes appear to have quite similar trends.

Researchers say the dip in births may be because women are choosing to have children later in life.

“Clearly, there is postponement,” Pew Research Center senior researcher Gretchen Livingston told CNN. “Now, will all the women who’ve been postponing birth ultimately catch up on their fertility? I’m not sure.”

Data also shows that reported teenage sexual activity has also fallen, and in turn teenage birth rates. With 194,284 births to teenage girls, the birth rates are down 7 percent from the prior year.

The report also said couples may be choosing to…