US births fall to lowest level in 32 years: CDC

Washington, May 15

The number of births in the US fell once again in 2018, reaching the lowest level in more than three decades, according to government statistics published on Wednesday.

Births have fallen in 10 of the last 11 years since last peaking in 2007, before the Great Recession.

With 3,788,235 births in 2018, the number of babies born dropped two per cent compared to 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It was the lowest figure since 1986.

The total fertility rate declined two per cent to roughly 1.7 births per woman in 2018, another record low.

Birth rates declined for nearly all age groups of women under 35, but rose for women in their late 30s and early 40s.

The preterm birth rate meanwhile rose for the fourth year in a row to 10 per cent in 2018.

The report also noted the caesarean delivery rate decreased to 31.9 per cent in 2018, its lowest level since peaking in 2009. — AFP