US fertility rate drops to all-time low, continuing a two-decade decline

The United States fertility rate has now been in decline for two decades, dropping nearly 23 percent since 2007.The fertility rate in the United States has dropped to an all-time low, continuing a trend that has seen births in the country drop by nearly 23 percent since 2007.Data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Thursday shows that the fertility rate for 2025 was 53.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, a one percent drop compared to the year before.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What does the falling birthrate mean for the British economy?list 2 of 3Taiwan battles low birth rate with new family subsidieslist 3 of 3‘Party of parents’: Trump touts government guidance to increase IVF accessend of listExperts attribute the change to a variety of factors, from changing priorities among younger women to socioeconomic factors such as anxiety over the cost of living and the affordability of housing and childcare.According to the Economic Policy Institute, a progressive think tank focused on economic issues, the average cost of childcare in the state of California was nearly $22,000 per year. In states with a lower cost of living such as Alabama, it was nearly $8,000.Even though Alabama’s costs were lower, the institute noted that $8,000 is the equivalent of 27 weeks of full-time work for a labourer making the minimum wage in the state.For California, it would take a minimum-wage worker 33 weeks to earn enough for childcare costs alone.Phillip Levine, an economics professor at Wellesley College, told the news agency Reuters that factors such as “greater and more demanding job market opportunities, expanded leisure options, [and] increased intensity of parenting” have made “the option to have children less desirable”.Falling birth rates have also grabbed the attention of policymakers, with some seeking to roll out tools to incentivise young couples to have children.