Fertility Rate Decreased 1 Percent From 2023 to 2024

THURSDAY, July 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- From 2023 to 2024, there was a 1 percent increase in the number of births and a 1 percent decrease in the general fertility rate, according to a July data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics.Joyce A. Martin, M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues present 2024 final birth data on key demographic, medical, and health care indicators based on data from the National Vital Statistics System.The researchers found a 1 percent increase in the number of births in the United States from 2023 to 2024, reaching 3,628,934 births. However, from 2023 to 2024, the general fertility rate decreased by 1 percent, reaching 53.8 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44 years. Birth rates declined for females aged 15 to 34 years from 2023 to 2024, were unchanged for those aged 35 to 39 years, and increased among those aged 40 to 44 years. There was an increase seen in the primary cesarean delivery rate, reaching 22.9 percent in 2024. Overall and for each maternal age group, the percentage of mothers for whom Medicaid was the primary source of payment for the delivery decreased."From 2007 (the most recent high) to 2023, the number of births has declined 16 percent," the authors write. "The general fertility rate is down 22 percent from 2007 to 2024."Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter