U.S. Birth Rate Remains at Record Lows

Religion Today | Updated: Aug 21, 2013

U.S. Birth Rate Remains at Record Lows

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the birthrate in the United States is at a record low of 63.2 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, Baptist Press reports. The birthrate began to decline at the beginning of the recession of 2008. Though the recession technically ended in 2009, the birthrate has not yet rebounded, perhaps due to a still sluggish economy. The 2012 numbers, which remained virtually the same as 2011, indicate the drop may have leveled off, according to D'Vera Cohn, senior writer at Pew Research Center. "Research has shown that when economic times are bad, fertility rates are down," Cohn told MSN. "When the economy improves, we've seen the fertility rate rise again as women have the children that they didn't have during more difficult economic times." Other experts say it's too soon to tell if the current low rate is a result of the recession or of changing demographics and social trends, such as women waiting longer to have children.



U.S. Birth Rate Remains at Record Lows