The U.S. general fertility rate reached another record low last year as births continued a long-term decline. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released in April showed the rate at 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44 in 2025, down 1 percent from 53.8 the prior year.

The total number of births fell 1 percent to approximately 3.6 million. This marks a 23 percent drop in the fertility rate since 2007 and continues a trend that began after the Great Recession.

Teen birth rates also hit new lows. The rate for women ages 15 to 19 declined 7 percent to 11.7 births per 1,000 females. Rates for younger and older teens within that group fell even more sharply.

The decline has been driven primarily by fewer births among women in their teens and twenties. Birth rates for women in their thirties and early forties have been more stable or slightly higher in recent years, though not enough to offset the overall drop.

Federal statisticians noted that the 2025 figures are based on population estimates from the Census Bureau rather than the 2020 census count alone. The data remain provisional and subject to revision once final numbers are available.

Demographers have pointed to broader economic pressures, delayed marriage, and changing social norms as factors in the sustained decline. The total fertility rate, which measures lifetime births per woman, has also fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 children.

The trend raises questions about future population growth and workforce size. The United States has relied on immigration to offset low native birth rates in recent decades.

The CDC report also showed a slight increase in cesarean deliveries to 32.5 percent of births, while the preterm birth rate held steady at 10.41 percent.