Chart and table of the U.S. birth rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

Over the past 30 years, the birth rate in the United States has been steadily declining, and in 2022, there were 11 births per 1,000 of the population. In 1990, this figure stood at 16.7 births per 1,000 of the population. Demographics have an impact The average birth rate in the U.S. may be falling, but when broken down along ethnic and economic lines, a different picture is painted: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women saw the highest birth rate in 2022 among all ethnicities, and Asian women and white women both saw the lowest birth rate. Additionally, the higher the family income, the lower the birth rate; families making between 15,000 and 24,999 U.S. dollars annually had the highest birth rate of any income bracket in the States. Life expectancy at birth In addition to the declining birth rate in the U.S., the total life expectancy at birth has also reached its lowest value in recent years. Studies have shown that the life expectancy of both men and women in the United States has declined as of 2021. Declines in life expectancy, like declines in birth rates, may indicate that there are social and economic factors negatively influencing the overall population health and well-being of the country.

In the United States, the crude birth rate in 1800 was 48.3 live births per thousand people, meaning that 4.8 percent of the population had been born in that year. Between 1815 and 1825 the crude birth rate jumped from 46.5 to 54.7 (possibly due to Florida becoming a part of the US, but this is unclear), but from this point until the Second World War the crude birth rate dropped gradually, reaching 19.2 in 1935. Through the 1940s, 50s and 60s the US experienced it's baby boom, and the birth rate reached 24.1 in 1955, before dropping again until 1980. From the 1980s until today the birth rate's decline has slowed, and is expected to reach twelve in 2020, meaning that just over 1 percent of the population will be born in 2020.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States (SPDYNTFRTINUSA) from 1960 to 2022 about fertility, rate, and USA.

Chart and table of the North America birth rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

While the standard image of the nuclear family with two parents and 2.5 children has persisted in the American imagination, the number of births in the U.S. has steadily been decreasing since 1990, with about 3.67 million babies born in 2022. In 1990, this figure was 4.16 million. Birth and replacement rates A country’s birth rate is defined as the number of live births per 1,000 inhabitants, and it is this particularly important number that has been decreasing over the past few decades. The declining birth rate is not solely an American problem, with EU member states showing comparable rates to the U.S. Additionally, each country has what is called a “replacement rate.” The replacement rate is the rate of fertility needed to keep a population stable when compared with the death rate. In the U.S., the fertility rate needed to keep the population stable is around 2.1 children per woman, but this figure was at 1.67 in 2022. Falling birth rates Currently, there is much discussion as to what exactly is causing the birth rate to decrease in the United States. There seem to be several factors in play, including longer life expectancies, financial concerns (such as the economic crisis of 2008), and an increased focus on careers, all of which are causing people to wait longer to start a family. How international governments will handle falling populations remains to be seen, but what is clear is that the declining birth rate is a multifaceted problem without an easy solution.

United States Birth Rate: White data was reported at 9.500 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.700 % for 2021. United States Birth Rate: White data is updated yearly, averaging 13.700 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.800 % in 1990 and a record low of 9.400 % in 2020. United States Birth Rate: White data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In the United States in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have seven children over the course of their lifetime. As factors such as technology, hygiene, medicine and education improved, women were having fewer children than before, reaching just two children per woman in 1940. This changed quite dramatically in the aftermath of the Second World War, rising sharply to over 3.5 children per woman in 1960 (children born between 1946 and 1964 are nowadays known as the 'Baby Boomer' generation, and they make up roughly twenty percent of todays US population). Due to the end of the baby boom and increased access to contraception, fertility reached it's lowest point in the US in 1980, where it was just 1.77. It did however rise to over two children per woman between 1995 and 2010, although it is expected to drop again by 2020, to just 1.78.

Chart and table of the USA birth rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data was reported at 1.800 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.500 % for 2021. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data is updated yearly, averaging 1.100 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.900 % in 2019 and a record low of 0.800 % in 2000. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

Crude Birth Rate: All Income Levels for Latin America and Caribbean was 16.11564 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Crude Birth Rate: All Income Levels for Latin America and Caribbean reached a record high of 43.35289 in January of 1950 and a record low of 16.11564 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Crude Birth Rate: All Income Levels for Latin America and Caribbean - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 12.400 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 12.400 Ratio for 2015. United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 15.100 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.700 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 12.400 Ratio in 2016. United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Chart and table of the Central America birth rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

In 2021, the birth rate in the United States was highest in families that had under 10,000 U.S. dollars in income per year, at 62.75 births per 1,000 women. As the income scale increases, the birth rate decreases, with families making 200,000 U.S. dollars or more per year having the second-lowest birth rate, at 47.57 births per 1,000 women. Income and the birth rate Income and high birth rates are strongly linked, not just in the United States, but around the world. Women in lower income brackets tend to have higher birth rates across the board. There are many factors at play in birth rates, such as the education level of the mother, ethnicity of the mother, and even where someone lives. The fertility rate in the United States The fertility rate in the United States has declined in recent years, and it seems that more and more women are waiting longer to begin having children. Studies have shown that the average age of the mother at the birth of their first child in the United States was 27.4 years old, although this figure varies for different ethnic origins.

United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa was 34.79180 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa reached a record high of 47.79126 in January of 1950 and a record low of 34.79180 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

In 2023, around 50 children were born per thousand Asian women in the United States. The highest birth rate was among Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander mothers, at 79 percent during the same year.

United States Birth Rate: 40 to 44: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander data was reported at 15.500 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 15.000 % for 2021. United States Birth Rate: 40 to 44: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander data is updated yearly, averaging 14.700 % from Dec 2016 (Median) to 2022, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.500 % in 2022 and a record low of 13.100 % in 2017. United States Birth Rate: 40 to 44: Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean was 16.25496 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean reached a record high of 43.92137 in January of 1950 and a record low of 16.25496 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Latin America and Caribbean - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by currency and is filtered where the country is the United States. The data is about countries per year.

Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian data was reported at 104.000 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 105.000 % for 2021. Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian data is updated yearly, averaging 111.200 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127.400 % in 2016 and a record low of 92.600 % in 1986. Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.