State’s birthrate declines from ’17

Arkansas’ 2018 birthrate fell slightly compared with the previous year, but was still higher than the national average, according to final data released by the National Vital Statistics System.

The state’s birthrate for 2018 was 12.3 per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44, compared with the national birthrate of 11.6. In 2017, the state rate was 12.5.

The number of babies born in the state fell from 37,520 in 2017 to 37,018 in 2018.

Birth totals nationwide fell each year between 2007 to 2013, spiked in 2014 and have been falling again since then, the 2018 report said.

For births last year, Arkansas retained its position as having the nation’s highest teen birthrate, though that figure dropped slightly between 2017 and 2018.