US births did not return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022
There were fewer babies born in the U.S. in 2022 than before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The birth rate stayed essentially stagnant between 2021 and 2022, dropping less than 1%. "It's essentially unchanged. It's a very small difference, relatively speaking, compared to the total number of births, which are in the millions," Brady Hamilton, a statistician demographer at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, told CBS News.
In 2021, the birth rate appeared to rebound from the pandemic; now, however, that rebound seems to have been short-lived. It was also the first year to see an annual increase in the birth rate since 2014.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Experts are now unsure whether birth rates will return to pre-pandemic levels anytime soon. "A birth rate below the replacement rate signals some major demographic changes on the horizon," Forbes wrote. The U.S. is not hitting the minimum birth rate, 2.1 children per woman, to replace the current population, which may lead to "an aging population and an economy that one day may struggle to find enough workers to fill key jobs and pay taxes," Forbes continued.
On the bright side, teenage births decreased to their lowest level in history in 2022, dropping 3% from 2021. "I'm excited the U.S. has made significant progress in reducing pregnancies among youth," Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, dean of the Duke University School of Nursing, told ABC News. Much of the change was attributed to wider knowledge of long-lasting birth control, like the IUD. The teenage birth rate has been on the decline since 1991.
"The all-time low should be an indication that we're continuing to move in the right direction," remarked Guilamo-Ramos.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
'Conservatives have not limited their attack on reproductive rights to the US'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 18, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - a slimy slithering app, defying gravity, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The lows of an unregulated high: Teens are using marijuana alternative delta-8
In the Spotlight More than 1 in 10 high school seniors have reported using the substance, which contains concentrated THC
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
OTC birth control arrives amid the battle over reproductive rights
Talking Points Opill will cost $19.99 a month. Democrats are pushing to make it cheaper.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Our microbiome is social like us
The Explainer Microbes can be friendly too
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What Florida is — and isn't — doing to curb the biggest measles outbreak in the US
Talking Points DeSantis appointee defies expert consensus to stop the spread
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
How love impacts your health
The Explainer Turns out you actually can die of a broken heart
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The race to develop male birth control
The Explainer New contraception is being conceived
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How Tehran became the world's nose job capital
Under the radar Iranian doctors raise alarm over low costs, weak regulation and online influence of 'Western beauty standards'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The dangerous search for bodies in the River Thames
The Explainer Retrieving corpses is difficult due to 'massive' tidal range and fast current of deep, dark water
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published