The birth rate in the US rose for the first time in seven years in 2021, even as teen pregnancy fell

The birth rate in the United States rose in 2021 for the first time in nearly seven years, although teen pregnancies, which officials generally want to reduce, have declined.

A report released Tuesday by the National Center for Health Statistics says there were 3,659,289 births in the United States in 2021. That’s a slight increase of one percent from 3,613,647 a year earlier.

What is believed to occur when Americans are forced to spend more time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, if not the baby boom of the pandemic, is reversing a trend that many fear could last for decades.

Many babies born in early 2021 were also conceived in 2020, making it possible for them to be born the previous year due to the COVID-19 blockade.

The agency found that last year there were 56.6 births for every 1,000 women in America.

The report also found that in 2021, the rate of preterm births rose from 4 percent of births to 10.48 percent, with cesarean deliveries now accounting for one in every three births in the United States.

While there are still half a million fewer births per year in the United States than its peak in the mid-2000s, where more than four million Americans were born each year, this reversal probably saved the birth rate from reaching an incredibly high point. . time.

In 2020, many were expecting a baby boom. Many businesses outside were canceled, people spent more time at home due to the loss of work and school, and many had fewer obligations after being laid off. The perfect storm is made for an explosion.

Instead, the country’s birthrate has dropped four percent, an alarming figure after births had fallen in the previous six years.

The return in the United States was made possible by the New England region of the country.

New Hampshire had a seven percent year-over-year increase in birth rate, the highest of any state in America. Neighboring Connecticut (6.5%), Vermont (5.2%) and New Jersey (5.09%) made up the four states, up five percent or more.

Maine and Massachusetts, also located in the northeast region, recorded a 4.08% increase in births last year.

The remote state of Alaska was the biggest loser in the birth rate, down two percent from 2020.

New Mexico dropped 1.9% and Hawaii recorded a 1% drop. No other state has reduced the birth rate by one percent or more between 2020 and 2021.

The most promising part of the report is the results in teen pregnancies. The analysis found that the birth rate among American teens dropped by 6% overall.

The birth rate among mothers aged 15-17 fell by 8%. It also decreased by 7% for 18- and 19-year-olds. While rates have increased for the 10-14 age group – a 6% increase – the figures are still very low compared to their peers.

Adolescent pregnancies can be extremely dangerous and in many cases result in failure for both mother and baby.

Younger mothers often have to drop out of school to care for their children, resulting in a lower potential income for life.

Those who stay in school perform worse and are less likely to get into college, which once again limits their earning potential.

This means that they are more likely to raise children in poverty and in many cases are more likely to be a single mother because the father is also young.

Women aged 35 to 44 recorded the largest increases, almost 5%.

This follows a decade-long trend of women waiting longer in their lives to have children as teen pregnancies decline, as they become more focused on their careers and the high costs of having children are forcing many women to wait longer.