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CDC: U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low; 40.7 Percent of Babies Born to Unmarried Women

  • Religion Today Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world
  • Published Nov 01, 2012

The birth rate in the United States hit an all-time low in 2011, according to a report released in October by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CNSNews.com reports. "The 2011 preliminary number of U.S. births was 3,953,593, 1 percent less (or 45,793 fewer) births than in 2010; the general fertility rate (63.3 per 1,000 women age 15-44 years) declined to the lowest rate ever reported for the United States," the CDC said. The report also found that 40.7 percent of all babies born in the U.S. last year were to unmarried women -- a slight decline from 40.8 percent in 2010. In 2011, 1,606,087 babies were born to unmarried women and 2,347,506 were born to married women. Although the percentage of babies born to unmarried women was highest among teens, the percentage of babies born to unmarried women of older ages increased from 2010 to 2011.