FILE-In this photo illustration a pregnant woman prepares to travel. (Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images)
null - Birth rates for women in the United States declined in 2023 based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The general fertility rate fell 3% last year, a record low compared to 2022, to 55 births for every 1,000 females ages 15-44.
In 2023, a little more than 3.5 million babies were born, representing a 3% drop in birth rates compared to 2022 when over 3.6 billion babies were born, per the CDC data.
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CDC data also shows that teen birth rates dropped in 2023, which has declined two-thirds since 2007.
Birth rates for teens 15-19 fell 4% from 2022 to 2023, while birth rates for teens 15-17 years old dropped 2% last year.
Meanwhile, birth rates for teenagers 18-19 dipped 5% from 2022 to 2023, the report notes.
According to the CDC, since 2007, when the fertility rate was at a recent high, the number of births has declined 17%, and the general fertility rate plummeted 21%.
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Additionally, the report points out that most pregnant women received prenatal care starting in their first trimester in 2023.
However, the number of women who receive care later – or not at all – has increased in recent years. According to the CDC, roughly 2.3% of pregnant women had no prenatal care last year, an increase of 5% from 2022. And almost 5% of women had prenatal care in only their third trimester.