According to the CDC, just under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, compared with almost 3.7 million in 2022. The decline follows relative stability in the birthrate from 2021 to 2022 after a modest 1 percent rise from 2020 to 2021, when the coronavirus pandemic raged.
The report also highlighted a continuing decrease in teen birthrates, and it noted a marginal uptick in caesarean deliveries. The incidence of preterm births has remained consistent with previous years.
Brady E. Hamilton, the report’s lead author, said the teen birthrate trends from 2022 to 2023 were among the more interesting findings. The birthrate for those ages 15 to 19 reached record lows in 2023, according to the provisional data, but that represents only a 3 percent decrease from 2022.
Between 2007 and 2022, the rate dropped by an average of 7 percent annually, so the slower rate of decline is noteworthy.
“There could be many states out there that are already low, and if you’re already low, you can’t go much lower,” Hamilton said.
He added that further investigation is necessary to understand the reasons for these numbers, and the final data will delve into different demographic groups and geographical regions to uncover the contributing factors.
Hamilton also noted that the data show the fourth consecutive increase in the yearly rate of caesarean deliveries since 2020. That is a worrying trend because of the high risk of complications associated with caesarean versus vaginal births.
“A caesarean delivery is a major abdominal surgery … it does represent a risk in terms of the health of the mother and the health of the child,” he said.
A sustained decrease in birthrates can have far-reaching effects on various aspects of society, including the economy, health-care systems and family structures.
Julia Strasser, director of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health and an assistant research professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, said that although experts have not pinpointed a single cause for this decline, factors such as student loan debt, high housing costs and economic uncertainty are thought to influence younger generations’ decisions to delay or forgo having children.
Strasser added that recent court rulings on birth control, fertility treatments and women’s reproductive health also could have an effect on birthrates.
“States with abortion bans already have some of the worst maternal health outcomes and poverty rates in the U.S., both of which are key factors in determining the birthrate,” she said. “If there is an increase in births in these states but a decrease in births in states that protect abortion, what we’re seeing is likely to reflect growing disparities in terms of maternal health and social safety net.”