United States - birth rate 1990-2018

Over the past 30 years, the birth rate in the United States has been steadily declining, and in 2018, there were 11.6 births per 1,000 of the population. In 1990, this figure stood at 16.7 births per 1,000 of the population.

Demographics have an impact

The average birth rate in the U.S. may be falling, but when broken down along ethnic and economic lines, a different picture is painted: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women saw the highest birth rate in 2018 among all ethnicities, and White and Asian women both saw the lowest birth rate. Additionally, the higher the family income, the lower the birth rate; families making between 15,000 and 24,999 U.S. dollars annually had the highest birth rate of any income bracket in the States.

Fewer births, but longer lives

While the birth rate may be declining in the U.S., lives are getting longer, and the life expectancy was estimated to be about 78.54 years in 2017. While this is a positive aspect of today’s modern medical advances, countries such as the U.S. will have to find ways to support and deal with aging populations with fewer working-age adults.