US birth rates have fallen 17% since 2007
US annual birth rates have continued to fall, according to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Birth rates have fallen by 2% since 2022, and 17% since reaching a peak in 2007. The general fertility rate has also fallen 21% during that time.
In total, there were 3,596,017 births recorded in the United States last year, compared to 3,667,758 the year previously.
Births to females aged 15 to 19 declined significantly, by 4% from 2022 to 2023.
Just over 10% of births were premature in 2023, which is about the same as the previous year. Early-term births (during the 37th and 38th week of pregnancy) rose by 2%.
“Since the most recent low in 2014, preterm birth rates have risen 9% and early-term births by 21%, while full-term and late- and post-term births have declined,” the NCHS team wrote.
Potential causes of the long-term decline are not discussed in the report, but one contributing factor is likely to be the continuing growth of chronic diseases, driven by poor diet and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These factors were highlighted by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as two of principal causes of America’s unprecedented health decline, during his announcement on Friday that he would be withdrawing from the presidential race and endorsing Donald Trump.
After his announcement, Kennedy joined Trump on stage at a rally in Arizona, where Trump praised RFK Jr. for his decades of work on environmentalism and health, and said that he would establish a presidential commission into chronic diseases, something he promised to do when RFK Jr. first announced his candidacy in 2023.
“Nobody’s done more” than RFK Jr. to “advocate for the health of our families and children,” Trump said.
“Millions and millions of Americans who want clean air, clean water, and a healthy nation have concerns about toxins in our environment and pesticides in our food. That’s why today I’m repeating my pledge to establish a panel of top experts working with Bobby to investigate what is causing the decades-long increase in chronic health problems and childhood diseases,” he added.
If you’re interested in the negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption, read our detailed primer now. A follow-up on toxic endocrine-disrupting chemicals will appear on Monday.
