CNN reports that the number of births and the fertility rate in the U.S. are continuing to decline.
Provisional data from the report, by the National Center for Health Statistics at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that found that birth rates declined for nearly all age groups. There were about 3.79 million births in the U.S. in 2018, down 2% from the total in 2017, and the lowest seen in 32 years.
From 2017 to 2018, the birth rate dropped 7% among teenagers aged 15 to 19; 4% among women 20 to 24; 3% among women 25 to 29; and 1% among women 30 to 34, according to the report.
The birth rate rose 1% among women aged 35 to 39 and 2% among women 40 to 44. The rate for women 45 to 49, which also includes births to women 50 and older, did not change from 2017 to 2018.
The provisional data—which will be finalized later in the year—showed that the total fertility rate for the United States last year was 1,728 births per 1,000 women, a decrease of 2% from 2017 and a record low for the nation.
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