Report: US Birth Rate Registered Significant Decline Last Year

The United States and many other nations around the world have experienced a precipitous drop in the number of annual births in recent years, prompting concerns about the ability of these countries to replace aging generations.

Although COVID-19 appeared to reverse the trend slightly, the latest data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that, at least in the U.S., 2023 was a year for an accelerated decline in the birth rate.

According to a review of birth certificates obtained last year, there were fewer than 3.6 million babies born — a drop of about 76,000 compared to 2022 and the lowest number recorded in nearly 35 years. 

Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. birth rate had been trending downward for a decade, dipping by a significant 4% between 2019 and 2020 before ticking up slightly in the two years that followed. 

University of Wisconsin researcher Nicholas Mark reacted to the latest CDC report by declaring that it appears “to indicate that the bump is over and we’re back to the trends we were in before.”

While there are various reasons for the trend, many analysts agree environmental concerns among young adults have contributed to the growing opposition to having children. In 2021, Morgan Stanley analysts determined that the “movement to not have children owing to fears over climate change is growing and impacting fertility rates quicker than any preceding trend in the field of fertility decline.”

Some prospective parents are simply waiting until later in life to have children, whether due to economic concerns, a rise in the number of women focusing on their careers, or any number of personal reasons. Mark, however, noted that “there’s some evidence that not just postponement is going on” in the most recent figures. Specifically, the birth rate went down last year among women under the age of 40 but did not increase for older women.  

CDC data confirmed that the reduction in births is consistent across most racial and ethnic lines. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a vocal proponent for an increased birth rate, warning several years ago that there “are not enough people” to sustain the species over the long term.

“If people don’t have more children, civilization is going to crumble,” he added. “Mark my words.”