Birthrate in U.S. hits a record low

America saw fewer babies in 2016 for the second year in a row, with the lowest total fertility rate since ’84.

Hey stork, you’ve been slacking off.

For the second year in a row, the number of babies delivered in the U.S. fell in 2016, according to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics. For some groups of women, the birthrate reached record lows.

The provisional figures released Friday include 99.96% of U.S. births last year. Here’s what they show:

Overall births

The number of babies born in the U.S. last year was 3,941,109. That’s 37,388 fewer than in 2015, or a 1% decline.

The number of births tends to rise as the population rises, so historical comparisons are made by calculating the general fertility rate — the number of births per 1,000 women and girls considered to be of childbearing age (between 15 and 44).

In 2016, the U.S. general fertility rate hit a record low of 62 births per 1,000 women and girls ages 15 to 44. In 2015, the rate was 62.5.

Another useful statistic is the total fertility rate — an estimate of the number of babies 1,000 women would have over their lifetimes, based on birthrates among women of different ages.

In 2016, the total fertility rate for U.S. women was 1,818 births per 1,000 women, the lowest it has been since 1984.

For a generation to replace itself, the fertility rate needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women. The U.S. has been falling short since 1971 (though the population has grown due to immigration).

More older moms

The ages of women giving birth has been skewing older for several years, and that continued in 2016.

Birthrates for women 30 and up hit their highest levels since the 1960s, and women in their early 30s had the highest birthrate. In 2016, there were 102.6 births per 1,000 women between 30 and 34, the most since 1964. There were 52.6 births per 1,000 women ages 35 to 39, the highest rate since 1962.

The birthrate tapered off for women in their 40s, with 11.4 births per 1,000 women between 40 and 44 and 0.9 births per 1,000 for ages 45 and up — the highest rates for those age groups since 1966 and 1963, respectively.

In 2016, the number of babies born to mothers in their 30s was 1,656,736; 112,007 babies were born to women ages 40 and up.

Teen births decline

Meanwhile, birthrates for girls and women in their teens and 20s hit record lows.

The teen birthrate reached a new low of 20.3 per 1,000 girls between 15 and 19. That’s 9% lower than in 2015; 51% lower than in 2007 (when the downward trend began); and 67% lower than in 1991 (the most recent peak).

Fewer teen births were seen in girls 15 to 17 (down 11% from 2015) and 18- and 19year-olds (down 8% from 2015). Statisticians also tallied 0.2 births per 1,000 girls ages 10 to 14. That rate was unchanged from 2015.

Altogether, 211,726 babies were born to mothers under 20 in 2016.

Women in their 20s were responsible for the bulk of last year’s births — 1,950,642 of them — even as their birthrates fell to record lows.

There were 73.7 births for every 1,000 women ages 20 to 24, along with 101.9 births for every 1,000 women ages 25 to 29 — 4% and 2% lower than in

Fewer unmarried

Just under 40% of babies born last year were born to unmarried women. In 2015, that figure was 40.3%.

The birthrate for single mothers peaked in 2007 and 2008, at 51.8 per 1,000 unmarried women of childbearing age. After falling for eight years, it hit 42.1 births per 1,000 unmarried women in 2016.

The proportion of out-of wedlock births varied widely by race and ethnicity.

Women of Asian descent had the lowest proportion of births to unmarried women (12%), followed by whites (28.4%), Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (47.7%), Native Americans or Alaska Natives (68.1%) and blacks (69.7%). Among Latinas, 52.5% of births were to unmarried women.

Health problems

Preterm births, those before 37 weeks of gestation, made up 9.84% of U.S. births, up from 9.63% in 2015.

That increase can be traced to a 3% bump in late preterm births, those after 34 to 36 weeks. Births before 34 weeks held steady, at 2.76% of total births.

Babies born prematurely are at greater risk for health issues including lung problems, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, vision and hearing problems, and dental problems, according to the March of Dimes.

There was also a small increase in births of babies under 5 pounds, 8 ounces. In 2016, 8.16% of babies met this threshold for low birth weight, up from 8.07% in 2015.

A low birth weight carries a higher risk of heart problems, respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding in the brain and an intestinal condition called necrotizing enterocolitis, the March of Dimes says.