US birth rates increased for the first time in seven years
Birth rates in the US rose for the first time in seven years, after some experts speculated that the Covid-19 pandemic would lead to a baby bust.
On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics released provisional data regarding birth rates in the US in 2021.
According to the report, there were nearly 3.7m babies born in the US last year, an increase of one per cent, or nearly 46,000 more than were born in 2020.
The increase, which saw birth rates rising for women in age groups 25 and older, marked the first since 2014.
On average, US births have been declining two per cent every year since 2014, with CNN noting that 2019-2020 saw one of the worst drops seen in decades.
The report does not state why there may have been an increase in births, however, Beth Jarosz, a demographer and program director with the nonprofit Population Reference Bureau, told CNN that postponed pregnancies or access to contraceptives may have been factors.
According to ABC News, Pew Research Center polls have also suggested that Americans delayed giving birth in the early days of the pandemic due to economic and health concerns.
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