U.S. birth rates tumble to record low

The birth rate in the United States fell 4% last year – to the lowest since 1979 – dropping “below replacement levels”, a government report finds


NUMBER OF BIRTHS AND GENERAL FERTILITY RATES, 1990-2020*

2007-08 Financial Crisis: Prior to Covid-19 recession, considered to be most serious financial crisis since Great Depression (1929-1933)

2020: Birth rate falls 4% to 3,605,201 newborns – double average annual decline of 2%. Many couples rethink baby plans amid anxiety over impact of Covid-19 on economy. More people now die every day in U.S. than are being born

5   Number of births (millions)
4
3
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

Fertility rate (per 1,000 women aged 15-44)
80                         
70
60
50                
               
3.6 million babies born
55.8 births per 1,000 women


*Provisional 2020 data
    
 
Sources: CNBC, Guardian, CDC 
Picture: Nihal Karkala (Unsplash) 
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