The U.S. birth rate is at its lowest since 1985 and demographers think the decline may be permanent

It looks like the decline in the United States' birth rate may be permanent, The Hill reports.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report Wednesday that 3.7 million children were born in the U.S. last year, down 1 percent from 2018 and the lowest total number of births since 1985. Birth rates dropped among women in nearly every age (except women in the early 40s) and race group.

The downward trajectory has been consistent, save for one rise in 2014, since the 2008 financial crisis, and demographers are now thinking that's unlikely to change anytime soon especially since the country's financial outlook had improved. "The fact that births and fertility continued to decline in 2019 despite the booming economy suggests that this is a permanent shift to a lower fertility regimen in the U.S.," said Cheryl Russell, a demographer and contributing editor to the journal American Demographics.

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Of course, the economy is no longer booming, and may be headed for an even more severe recession because of the coronavirus, so experts don't think early predictions of a pandemic baby boom will hold true. "It's more likely that young women will delay becoming pregnant during this time of uncertainty," Russel said. Read more at The Hill.