The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the birth rate in the U.S. fell by four percent in 2020 — the largest yearly drop in five decades.
The rate dropped across every major racial group and in nearly all age groups, falling to the lowest point since the government started tracking the data more than a century ago.
The Guardian analyzed the data in the report:
The U.S. once was among only a few developed countries with a fertility rate above the 2.1 children per woman that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself.
But the rate has been sliding for more than 10 years and last year dropped to about 1.6, the lowest rate on record. The figures suggest that the current generation will not have enough children to replace itself.
