Births: Preliminary Data for 2014

June 17, 2015

NCHS has just released a new report that presents preliminary data on births and birth rates and selected maternal and infant health characteristics for the United States in 2014.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • The 2014 preliminary number of U.S. births was 3,985,924, an increase of 1% from 2013.
  • The number of births increased for women in all race and Hispanic origin groups in 2014 except for American Indian or Alaska Native women, for whom births decreased.
  • The general fertility rate was 62.9 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, up 1% from 2013, and the first increase in the fertility rate since 2007.
  • The birth rate for teenagers aged 15–19 decreased 9% in 2014 to 24.2 births per 1,000 women, yet another historic low for the nation; rates decreased for both younger and older teenagers to record lows. The birth rate for women in their early 20s declined to 79 births per 1,000 women, another record low.
  • Birth rates for women in their 30s and early 40s increased in 2014.
  • The nonmarital birth rate declined 1% in 2014, to 44.0 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15–44, dropping for six consecutive years.
  • The cesarean delivery rate was down 2%, and the low-risk cesarean delivery rate was down 3%, in 2014.
  • The preterm birth rate (based on a change in measure) was down in 2014 to 9.57%. The low birthweight rate was essentially unchanged in 2014 at 8%.

 


Births: Final Data for 2013

January 15, 2015

A new NCHS report presents 2013 data on U.S. births according to a wide variety of characteristics. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, attendant at birth, method of delivery, period of gestation, birthweight, and plurality. Birth and fertility rates are presented by age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, and marital status. Selected data by mother’s state of residence and birth rates by age and race of father also are shown. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • A total of 3,932,181 births were registered in the United States in 2013, down less than 1% from 2012.
  • The general fertility rate declined to 62.5 per 1,000 women aged 15–44.
  • The teen birth rate fell 10%, to 26.5 per 1,000 women aged 15–19.
  • Birth rates declined for women in their 20s and increased for most age groups of women aged 30 and over.
  • The total fertility rate (estimated number of births over a woman’s lifetime) declined 1% to 1,857.5 per 1,000 women.
  • Measures of unmarried childbearing were down in 2013 from 2012.
  • The cesarean delivery rate declined to 32.7%.
  • The preterm birth rate declined for the seventh straight year to 11.39%, but the low birthweight rate was essentially unchanged at 8.02%.
  • The twin birth rate rose 2% to 33.7 per 1,000 births; the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate dropped 4% to 119.5 per 100,000 total births.

Births in the United States, 2013

December 4, 2014

A new NCHS report presents 2013 final birth data on several key demographic and maternal and infant health indicators. Trends in the number of births, general fertility rates, age-specific birth rates, and cesarean delivery rates by race and Hispanic origin, as well as trends in preterm births by state and trends in twin births are explored, with special focus on the most current period, 2012–2013. A previous report presented 2013 preliminary data on selected topics. Data are from the annual national natality files, representing 100% of births to U.S. residents.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • There were 3.93 million births in the United States in 2013, down less than 1% from 2012 and 9% from the 2007 high. The U.S. general fertility rate was at an all-time low in 2013.
  • Birth rates dropped to record lows in 2013 among women under age 30 and rose for most age groups 30 and over.
  • The cesarean delivery rate declined 1% from 2012 to 2013, to 32.7% of births. This rate rose nearly 60% from 1996 to 2009, but was down slightly from the 2009 high.
  • The 2013 preterm birth rate was 11.39%, down 1% from 2012 and 11% from the 2006 peak. Declines in preterm rates since 2006 were reported across the United States.
  • The twin birth rate, which had been mostly stable for 2009–2012, rose 2% in 2013 to 33.7 per 1,000 births.

 


National and State Patterns of Teen Births in the United States, 1940–2013

August 20, 2014

Teen childbearing in the United States has been declining for more than half a century. Except for a brief but steep increase in teen birth rates from 1986 to 1991 and smaller upturns during 1969–1970, 1979–1980, and 2005–2007, birth rates for U.S. teenagers have fallen since 1957. The birth rate in 2013, 26.6 births per 1,000 teenagers aged 15–19, was less than one-half of the rate in 1991 (61.8 per 1,000) and less than one-third of the rate in 1957 (96.3), when the United States rate was at its peak. The overall reductions in teen birth rates have been shared across all age groups, race and ethnicity groups, and states.

A new NCHS report presents trends from 1940 through 2013 in national birth rates for teenagers, with particular focus on the period since 1991. The percent changes in rates for 1991–2012 and
the for 2007–2012 are presented for the United States and for states. Preliminary data for 2013 are shown where available.

Key Findings from the Report:

  • Teen childbearing has been on a long-term downward trend, with only four exceptions since peaking in 1957. The rate in 1957 was 96.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–19. The rate dropped almost one-third to 65.5 in 1969.
  • The rate then increased 4% in 1969–1970 (68.3) before resuming a decline that continued until 1979–1980 and again until 1986 (50.2). From 1986 through 1991, the birth rate rose 23%. Since 1991, the rate has fallen 57% and the decline has been continuous except for a 5% rise during 2005–2007.
  • The pace of decline accelerated from 2007 forward, with the rate reaching 26.6 per 1,000 in 2013, a drop of 36% from 2007.
  • The 2013 rate is less than one-third of the 1957 peak rate.

 


Declines in Infant Mortality

April 18, 2013

Infant mortality is an important indicator of the health of a nation.  A new NCHS report describes the recent decline in the U.S. infant mortality rate from 2005 through 2011. Changes in infant mortality rates over time are examined by age at death, maternal race and ethnicity, cause of death, and state.  In 2011, the U.S. infant mortality rate was 6.05 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (based on preliminary data), 12% lower than the rate of 6.87 in 2005, but not significantly lower than 6.15 in 2010.

Infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality rates: United States, 2000 and 2005–2011

Key findings from the report:

  • Following a plateau from 2000 through 2005, the U.S. infant mortality rate declined 12% from 2005 through 2011. Declines for neonatal and postneonatal mortality were similar.
  • From 2005 through 2011, infant mortality declined 16% for non-Hispanic black women and 12% for non-Hispanic white women.
  • Infant mortality declined for four of the five leading causes of death during the 2005–2011 period.
  • Infant mortality rates declined most rapidly among some, but not all, Southern states from 2005 through 2010. Despite these declines, states in the South still had among the highest rates in 2010. Rates were also high in 2010 in some states in the Midwest.

Teen birth rates drop after two-year increase

April 9, 2010

A new report from NCHS, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2008,” found that the teen birth rate in the U.S. fell 2 percent between 2007 and 2008, after rising the previous two years. In 2008, the birth rate declined for all age groups under 20 years, except for the youngest teenagers ages 10-14, which remained unchanged at 0.6 births per 1,000 females. The report also found the following:

  •  The birth rate for U.S. teenagers ages 15-19 fell 2 percent in 2008 to 41.5 per 1,000, reversing a brief two-year increase that had halted the long-term decline from 1991 to 2005.
  •  The birth rate for unmarried women declined about 2 percent to 52.0 per 1,000 aged 15-44. This was the first decline since 2001 and 2002. However, the number and percentage of births to unmarried women each increased to historic levels. The preliminary number of U.S. births in 2008 was 4,251,095, down nearly 2 percent from 2007.
  • The estimated total fertility rate in 2008 was 2,085.5 births per 1,000 women, 2 percent lower than the rate in 2007.
  • The cesarean delivery rate rose to 32.3 percent in 2008, the twelfth consecutive year of increase. Increases were seen among women of all age groups, and most race and ethnic groups.

Below is a graph showing the birth rate trends for teens from 1980-2008:

For more,visit:  

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_16.pdf


Out-of-hospital births increase

March 17, 2010

A recent report released by NCHS showed an increase in the number of home and out-of-hospital births. In 2006, there were 38,568 out-of-hospital births in the United States, including 24,970 home births and 10,781 births occurring in freestanding birthing centers. The report also found that there was a decline between 1990 and 2004 in the number of out-of-hospital births and then a 3% increase from 2004 to 2005. Similarly, there was also a decline in home births between 1990 and 2004 and then an increase of 5% in 2005. However the number of home births remained steady in 2006.

The report also compared trends in the number of home births among different racial and ethnic groups. Results found that non-Hispanic white women were more likely to have a home birth than women of any other race and ethnicity. Overall, 81% of home births were to non-Hispanic white women, compared with 54% of hospital births.

             For more, visit “Trends and Characteristics of Home and Other Out-of-Hospital Births in the United States, 1990–2006”


Pregnancy rates decrease in United States

October 14, 2009

In 2005, an estimated 6,408,000 pregnancies resulted in 4.14 million live births, 1.21 million induced abortions, and 1.06 million fetal losses. The 2005 pregnancy rate of 103.2 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15–44 years is 11 percent below the 1990 peak of 115.8. The teenage pregnancy rate dropped 40 percent from 1990 to 2005, reaching an historic low of 70.6 per 1,000 women aged 15–19 years.

National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 58, Number 4, (10/14/2

For more, visit http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_04.pdf