US Birth Rates Increased 1 Percent in 2021, Not Enough for Generational Replacement

Americans have been having fewer children since the 1970s, far below the required numbers to effectively replace a generation. Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock

The number of births in the United States in 2021 was slightly higher than in 2020, the first annual increase since 2014, according to a recent report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“The provisional number of births for the United States in 2021 was 3,659,289, up 1 percent from 2020,” the report pdf) stated.