US Births, Fertility Rate Drop
Summary from the AllSides News Team
In 2023, the U.S. fertility rate fell to its lowest point since the government began tracking it nearly a century ago.
The Details: The total fertility rate dropped to 1.62 births per woman last year, a 2% decline from 2022, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There were about 3.59 million children born in the U.S. in 2023, the lowest number since 1979.
For Context: Births had been declining for roughly a decade before ticking up slightly during the COVID-19 pandemic but have since fallen again.
How the Media Covered It: Right-rated outlets often framed the news negatively, while others didn't. ZeroHedge (Lean Right bias) called it "alarming." National Review News (Lean Right) said the trend "will have significant consequences for American society" and the economy. Some left-rated sources framed coverage around the drop in teen births or rising maternal mortality rates. The Wall Street Journal (Center) said the data "reflects a continuing trend as American women navigate economic and social challenges that have prompted some to forgo or delay having children."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
U.S. Fertility Rate Falls to Record Low
American women are giving birth at record-low rates.
The total fertility rate fell to 1.62 births per woman in 2023, a 2% decline from a year earlier, federal data released Thursday showed. It is the lowest rate recorded since the government began tracking it in the 1930s.
The decline reflects a continuing trend as American women navigate economic and social challenges that have prompted some to forgo or delay having children. A confluence of factors are at play. American women are having fewer children, later in life. Women are establishing fulfilling careers and...
From the Left
Teen births in US fall to record low, as overall total drops by 2%: CDC
The overall number of births in the United States dropped in 2023 as teenage births reached a record low, according to new provisional federal data published early Thursday.
In 2023, there were 3.59 million births recorded, a 2% decline from the 3.66 million recorded in 2022, according to the report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.
This follows what has been a general decline since the mid-2010s. Between 2015 and 2020, the number of births fell an average of 2% per year from 2015...
From the Right
U.S. Fertility Rate Hits Record Low
The U.S. fertility rate hit a new record-low last year, continuing a persistent trend that will have significant consequences for American society.
The total fertility rate dropped to 1.62 births per woman last year, a 2 percent decline from the year before, according to newly released data from the Centers for Disease Control. The figure is below replacement level, meaning Americans are not having enough children to replace themselves, a development with major implications for the American economy.
The total fertility rate recorded by the CDC is the lowest since the U.S....
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