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American Women Having Fewer Babies

(WALTRAUD GRUBITZSCH/AFP/Getty Images)

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Birth rates among American women continue to fall, according to new data released on Wednesday by the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The overall US birth rate fell again last year to 62 births per 100,000 women, the data show. That decrease is due in large part to falling birth rates among American women in their 20’s, who are now giving birth to fewer babies than women ages 30-34. Teen birth rates also dropped last year, dipping from 22.3 to 20.3 births per 100,000 teenage women.

Last year saw a slight increase in birth rates among women in their 30’s, but it was not enough to offset the drop in births from younger women.

Birth rates among immigrant women have consistently outpaced the birth rates among American-born women, according to Pew Research Center. The total number of births has increased, even as birth rates fall, due “entirely” to births from immigrant mothers, Pew notes.

Policy experts have noted that decreasing birth rates could accelerate funding issues with Social Security as the average population age rises.

 

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