The COVID-19 pandemic may be linked to one of the lowest annual U.S. birth rates reported in decades, according to a new CDC report.
The CDC compiled provisional 2020 data, along with final 2019 and 2018 data, on changes in the number of U.S. births by race and by month of birth and state.
From 2019-20, the number of U.S. births declined each month, with the largest drops occurring in December (8 percent), August (7 percent), and October and November (6 percent each), compared to the year prior. Larger declines in births were seen in the second half of 2020 (down 6 percent) compared to the first half (down 2 percent) of 2020. From 2019-20, the nation experienced a 4 percent drop in the total number of births, the largest annual decline in the number of births since 1973.