US fertility rate reached new low in 2024: CDC

The fertility rate in the US dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with less than 1.6 kids per woman, new federal data released Thursday shows.

- Associated Press

The US was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 kids per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.

The new statistic is on par with fertility rates in western European countries, according to World Bank data.

Alarmed by recent drops, the Trump administration has taken steps to increase falling birth rates, like issuing an executive order meant to expand access to and reduce costs of in vitro fertilisation and backing the idea of “baby bonuses” that might encourage more couples to have kids.