US records historically low birth rate
Kyiv • UNN
The birth rate in the US in 2024 fell to 1.6 children per woman, an all-time low. This decline has been ongoing for almost two decades and is linked to economic instability and a lack of social support.
The birth rate in the US in 2024 fell to a historic low of 1.6 children per woman. The decline has been ongoing for almost two decades and, according to demographers, is linked to economic instability, delayed motherhood, and a lack of social support for parents. This is reported by UNN with reference to CBS.
Details
According to federal data released on Thursday, "the US birth rate fell to a historically low level in 2024, with fewer than 1.6 children born per woman."
Previously, as indicated, the birth rate in the US was approximately 2.1 children per woman. But for almost two decades in a row, this indicator has been declining in America.
According to World Bank data, the new statistics correspond to birth rates in Western European countries.
Concerned by the recent decline in birth rates, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase the birth rate, such as issuing an executive order in February aimed at expanding access to and reducing the cost of in vitro fertilization, and supporting the idea of "baby bonuses" that could encourage more couples to have children.
But there's no cause for concern, according to Lesley Ruth, a researcher at the University of Colorado Boulder who specializes in fertility and demographic policy.
We see this as part of an ongoing process of delayed childbearing. We know that the US population is still growing, and we still have natural growth – births outnumber deaths.
In the early 1960s, the total fertility rate in the US was about 3.5, but by 1976 it sharply dropped to 1.7 after the end of the baby boom. It gradually rose to 2.1 in 2007 before falling again, with the exception of an increase in 2014.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "in 2023, this figure was 1.621, but in 2024 it gradually decreased to 1.599."
Factors contributing to the continued decline
"Birth rates are generally declining among women in most age groups, and that's unlikely to change anytime soon," said Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center at the University of North Carolina.
People are marrying later, and they are also worried about their ability to have the money, health insurance, and other resources needed to raise children in a stable environment.
Anxiety is not the best time to have children, and that's why birth rates in most age groups are not improving.
When asked about the measures to promote birth rates outlined by the Trump administration, Guzzo replied that they do not address broader needs, such as parental leave and affordable childcare.
"What they're doing is really symbolic and unlikely to change anything for real Americans," she said.
A new CDC report, based on a more comprehensive review of birth certificates than previous data released earlier this year, also showed a 1% increase in births – approximately 33,000 more – last year compared to the previous year.
So, in 2024, slightly more than 3.6 million children were born in the US. Previously, it seemed that the number of births had increased, especially among women aged 20 to 30. But new, refined data showed a different picture: in this age group, the birth rate actually decreased, and among women over 30, it remained unchanged.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explained this by changes in demographic calculations. US population estimates were updated, and this affected the indicators. Researcher Lesley Ruth noted that due to the growing number of women of childbearing age, particularly thanks to immigration, the total number of births might have appeared larger, even if the individual birth rate did not change.