Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

According to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), released on Thursday, the birth rate in the United States reached a record low last year, continuing an almost two-decade-long decline, AzerNEWS reports.

Fewer women are choosing to have children amid shifting social and economic conditions. According to the agency, the overall birth rate in the U.S. has fallen by nearly 23% since 2007.

Experts link this trend to changing priorities among younger generations, including a more competitive job market, expanded career opportunities, rising living costs, and increased personal and professional responsibilities, all of which make parenthood less appealing. As Wellesley College economics professor Philip Levine noted, these factors significantly influence demographic behavior.

In 2025, approximately 3.6 million babies were born in the United States, a 1% decrease compared to the previous year. The total fertility rate—the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44—also declined by 1%, reaching 53.1.

Interestingly, this level is far below the so-called “replacement rate” of about 2.1 children per woman, which is needed for a population to remain stable without immigration. As a result, the United States, like many developed countries, increasingly relies on immigration to offset slow population growth and sustain long-term economic stability.