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According to new data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth rates in the United States have fallen to a record low after seeing a significant increase during the pandemic. 

The provisional number of births in 2023 was 3,591,328, marking a 2% decrease from 2022, where there were 3,667,758 births. According to the CDC report, “Last year, the difference was very small. This year, it’s something on the order of 74,000 or thereabouts. So it’s fairly large.”

The decrease in birth rates varied significantly across different ethnic and racial groups. American Indian and Alaska Native women saw a decline of 5%, while births among Black women decreased by 4%. White women experienced a 3% decrease, and Asian women saw a 2% drop. In contrast, Hispanic women recorded a 1% increase in births.

Additionally, the total fertility rate fell by 2% from the previous year. The age-specific birth rates also changed, with decreases noted in females aged 15-19 and 35-39 in 2023.

On the other hand, the cesarean delivery rate saw a slight rise to 32.4% in 2023, up from 32.1% in 2022. This increase was observed across Asian, Hispanic, and White women, with the highest rates occurring among Black mothers at 37%, a 0.2 increase from the previous year.