US births hit a 30-year low, despite good economy

Mike Stobbe
NEW YORK, US.-  U.S. birth rates declined last year for women in their teens, 20s and — surprisingly — their 30s, leading to the fewest babies in 30 years, according to a government report released Thursday.

Experts said several factors may be combining to drive the declines, including shifting attitudes about motherhood and changing immigration patterns. The provisional report, based on a review of more than 99 percent of the birth certificates filed nationwide, counted 3.853 million births last year.

That’s the lowest tally since 1987. Births have been declining since 2014, but 2017 saw the greatest year-to-year drop — about 92,000 less than the previous year. That was surprising, because baby booms often parallel economic booms, and last year was a period of low unemployment and a growing economy. But other factors are likely at play, experts said.

One may be shifting attitudes about motherhood among millennials, who are in their prime childbearing years right now. They may be more inclined to put off childbearing or have fewer children, researchers said.

Another may be changes in the immigrant population, who generate nearly a quarter of the babies born in the U.S. each year. For example, Asians are making up a larger proportion of immigrants, and they have typically had fewer children than other immigrant groups.