NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. births fell last year, resuming a long national slide.
A little under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, according to provisional statistics released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year tally since 1979.
U.S. births were slipping for more than a decade before COVID-19 hit, then dropped 4% from 2019 to 2020. They ticked up for two straight years after that, an increase experts attributed, in part, to pregnancies that couples had put off amid the pandemic’s early days.
But “the 2023 numbers seem to indicate that bump is over and we’re back to the trends we were in before,” said Nicholas Mark, a University of Wisconsin researcher who studies how social policy and other factors influence health and fertility.
Birth rates have long been falling for teenagers and younger women, but rising for women in their 30s and 40s — a reflection of women pursuing education and careers before trying to start families, experts say. But last year, birth rates fell for all women younger than 40, and were flat for women in their 40s.
What it's REALLY like to win the Lottery... by a couple who banked £2.2m
China remains world's largest engine for growth
Chinese carriers allowed to operate more flights to US
Comedy films dominate as China's Spring Festival box office hits record high
Oklahoma prosecutors charge fifth member of anti
China's Xiaomi releases its first self
China unveils measures to optimize payment services
Investing in the new: foreign firms tapping into China's emerging industries
Red Sox lose another starting pitcher, RHP Brayan Bello placed on injured list with a tight back
How US changes to 'noncompete' agreements and overtime pay could affect workers
China expands transport network to facilitate high