The U.S. has seen a decline in birth rates since the Great Recession as society changes its tune on parenthood and family planning.
Here’s a reality that is changing the planet: Births are declining across the globe as people opt for different parenting choices amid evolving family dynamics.
From the U.S. to Singapore, the global birth rate is on a decline compared to 1960 as people battle higher costs of living and childcare. They’re also dealing more with medical conditions and societal norms on what parenthood looks like, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 2024 report on society at a glance.
The international group is comprised of 38 countries, including the U.S., to develop solutions to social, economic and environmental challenges.
“Over the past decades, many factors have changed, affecting women’s choices with respect to having a(nother) child,” the OECD said in the report. Among the key factors: increased education among women, improved access to effective contraceptive measures, a growing predominance of dual-earner households, and a strengthening of public policies such as paid leave and formal early childhood education and care.
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“In addition, a succession of global crises has increased economic, labor market and housing insecurities especially among younger people, which complicates their transition into parenthood,” the report says.
In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks the nation’s birth rate, which is used to study how many children are being born and the factors behind it, said Brady Hamilton, a National Center of Health Statistics birth statistician. He added the agency breaks down the rate by age group and race, which he said gives more detail on the population.
“The more detail you can get, the better you can understand changes in the population structure,” he said.
How is the birth rate calculated?
Two main birth rates are tracked, Hamilton said – crude birth and fertility rate. Crude is the number of children born per 1,000 people. The number is calculated by dividing births in a year by the average population for the year.
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“Not everybody in the entire population reproduces,” Hamilton said. “Young people don’t, old people don’t. And your number of children born is kind of controlled by the size of your reproductively active female population. So that leads you into the fertility rates.”
Fertility rates are calculated by the total number of births to women aged 15 to 44.
How many people are born every day?
According to the CDC, 3,667,758 people were born in 2023. That’s about 9,852 births per day in the U.S.
What is the current birth rate?
The crude birth rate for the U.S. in 2023 was 10.74 births per 1,000 people, according to the CDC.
Among all 50 states, Vermont has the lowest rate at 7.82 births per 1,000 people, and Utah has the highest at 13.17 per 1,000.
The fertility rate that same year was 54.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, a slight drop compared to 2022’s rate of 56 births per 1,000 women.
Is the U.S. birth rate declining?
Yes, the U.S. rate has been on a steady decline since 2007, according to a May White House press release. Many have tied the low rate to people living longer with their parents, fears of job loss from a pregnancy and youth not in education or employment, according to OECD. The rate can be improved, however, when women have an equal footing with men on work-life balance and compensation, it said.
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“Young people increasingly find meaning in life outside of parenthood, and there appears to be increased acceptance of not having children,” the organization said.
How does the U.S. compare to other countries?
According to the United Nations‘ world population data, the average global birth rate is 16.52 births per 1,000 people. The U.S. is among the developed countries with the highest birth rate – Greenland has the highest at 14.1 births per 1,000 people, while Saint Pierre and Miquelon has the lowest at 5.2 births per 1,000 people.
Among all 236 countries, the Central African Republic has the highest rate in the world at 45.35 births per 1,000 people and the Vatican City has the lowest at 4.21 births per 1,000 people.
Birth rates help companies, government agencies prepare for the future
Hamilton said it’s an important statistic, coupled with immigration and death data, for the health agency to see how people are coming into society if a certain age group is having fewer children, and what measures need to be taken to address problems in the rates.
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Pew Charitable Trusts said in a December 2022 report that birth rates are vital to school districts, as fewer babies born can result in lower budgets and possibly school closures. On the other hand, a baby boom creates a need for more funding and buildings to educate children. The research organization pointed to Minnesota, which projected sharp declines in enrollment and issued a 2.3% cut to the state’s 2022 education budget as a result.
“Some fiscal effects have already emerged, while others will be relatively minor or won’t be felt for decades,” according to Pew Charitable Trusts’ website.
Hamilton added that knowing the birth and fertility rates gives a better picture of a place’s demographics, such as the size of age-based generations, the sustainability of welfare programs for retirees through income taxes, and changes in the population of a race in a certain town, county, state or the nation.
In the private sector, Hamilton said birth rates are necessary for companies that manufacture baby products such as baby food, formula and toys. Keeping tabs on it helps them avoid shortages, he said.
“So there’s a lot of information that is useful to many different groups when it comes to the number of births,” he said.
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Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter,@KrystalRNurse.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is the birth rate? See latest data, trends on US birth rate
