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For Immediate Release: April 23, 2025

Contact: ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø, National Center for Health Statistics, Office of Communication (301) 458-4800
E-mail: [email protected]

According to data released today by ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø’s National Center for Health Statistics, the number of births in the United States and the general fertility rate increased in 2024.

The new report, “Births: Provisional Data for 2024,” analyzes data from more than 99% of birth certificates for births occurring last year. The report shows the number of births increased by 1% from 2023, with 3,622,673 births recorded in 2024. This drove a less than 1% increase in the general fertility rate (54.6 births per 1,000 females ages 15–44 in 2024).

Other findings in the new report:

• 2024 birth rates by age of mother
  • decreased for females ages 15-24
  • increased for women ages 25-44 years
  • were unchanged for females ages 10–14 and 45-49
• The birth rate for teenagers ages 15–19 was down 3% in 2024 to 12.7 births per 1,000 women, another record low.
• The birth rate for women ages 20–24 (56.7) declined to another record low.
• The birth rate for women ages 40–44 increased 2%—the rate has risen almost continuously in this age group since 1985.
• The cesarean delivery rate increased to 32.4% in 2024—the low-risk cesarean delivery rate was unchanged at 26.6%.
• The preterm birth rate was unchanged at 10.41%.

The report will be available on the NCHS website at www.cdc.gov/nchs.