US Births Declined in 2025, Ending Short-Lived Uptick

Provisional data shows a drop of around 24,000 births compared to 2024, suggesting economic and social factors continue to impact family planning.

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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According to newly released provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of births in the United States declined slightly in 2025, falling to just over 3.6 million. This drop of around 24,000 births compared to 2024 appears to confirm predictions by experts who doubted the slight increase seen the previous year was the start of an upward trend.

Why it matters

The decline in U.S. births continues a long-running trend, with the fertility rate sliding for close to two decades as more women delay having children or choose not to have them at all. Experts attribute this to economic factors and uncertainty, as well as social changes like people marrying later in life.

The details

The CDC's provisional birth data, which accounts for nearly all births in 2025, shows a drop from the 3.624 million births reported in 2024. While the final tally may increase by a few thousand additional births as the data is finalized, the decline is expected to hold. Experts say the 2024 uptick was likely a temporary blip, with broader economic conditions and social trends continuing to impact family planning decisions.

  • The CDC updated its provisional birth data for 2025 in late February 2026.
  • Births in the U.S. declined by around 24,000 in 2025 compared to 2024.

The players

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The U.S. federal agency responsible for collecting and analyzing data on births, deaths, and other public health statistics.

Robert Anderson

Oversees birth and death tracking at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Karen Guzzo

A family demographer at the University of North Carolina who studies trends in fertility and childbearing.

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What they’re saying

“I wouldn't expect birth or fertility rates to have risen; I would expect them to fall because childbearing is highly related to economic conditions and uncertainty.”

— Karen Guzzo, Family Demographer, University of North Carolina (Email)

The takeaway

The decline in U.S. births in 2025 suggests the slight uptick seen in 2024 was a temporary blip, with broader economic and social factors continuing to impact family planning decisions. This ongoing trend of falling birth and fertility rates highlights the need for policymakers to understand and address the complex drivers behind these demographic shifts.