Data released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the fertility rate in the United States fell to a record low in 2024, but the number of babies born last year increased year-on-year. This means that while the overall number of births has increased, the proportion of births to women of childbearing age has declined.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3.6 million babies will be born in the United States in 2024, an increase of 1% from the previous year. But the overall fertility rate - the number of live births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years old) - fell to a record low of 53.8.
The trend for women to have children later has been on the rise for years. Between 2023 and 2024, fertility rates among women aged 15 to 34 fell, remained unchanged among women aged 35 to 39, and increased among women aged 40 to 44.
The CDC also revealed that the proportion of women of all ages who relied on health insurance as their primary source of childbirth expenses fell by 3%.
Although the number of births in the United States increased slightly last year, the number of births fell by 16% between 2007 and 2023. At the same time, the fertility rate fell by 22% between 2007 and 2024.
The most worrying figures relate to the total fertility rate (TFR), which is the average number of children a woman has during her lifetime. The replacement level - the number of children a woman needs to have to replace herself and her partner in the population - is typically 2.1 children per woman. If a country's TFR is below 2.1 for a long time, its population will decrease.
The total fertility rate in the United States has been below 2.1 almost continuously since 2007. In 2024, the number will be 1.599.
Other countries have more pressing problems. South Korea's fertility rate in 2023 is only 0.72, the lowest in the world. Countries such as Thailand (1.0), Taiwan (1.09), Japan (1.2-1.3), Spain (1.12), and Italy (1.2) are also experiencing extremely low fertility rates.
This trend has triggered rapid social aging, population decline, and increasingly serious economic and social problems. South Korea predicts that its population will decline by nearly 58% by 2100 at current fertility rates.
There are many reasons why women delay or refuse to have children. In addition to focusing on careers at a young age, the main reason is that many people simply cannot afford to have children. Concerns about the future, such as those related to the environment and tensions between countries around the world, also play a role.