2026 update: this page uses the latest data available: CDC/NCHS provisional birth data for 2025 (published April 2026, based on 99.95% of 2025 birth records), compared with 2024 data. Recent fathers’ ages come from our analysis of CDC birth records through 2024; the 1972 comparison comes from published research.
The U.S. recorded 3,606,400 births in 2025, down 1% from 2024, according to provisional CDC data. The general fertility rate fell 1% to 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44, and it has dropped 23% since 2007. More than half of 2025 births (53%) were to mothers 30 or older.The numbers come from the National Center for Health Statistics report Births: Provisional Data for 2025 (Vital Statistics Rapid Release No. 43, April 2026). Provisional means the counts can change slightly when final 2025 data comes out, but they’re based on 99.95% of the year’s birth records. The report doesn’t include fathers’ ages or birth rates for men, so the rates below are per 1,000 women. For dads, there’s no 2025 count yet, but the same trend shows up in the 2024 records: fewer babies, born to older parents.
Data breakdown: U.S. births and fertility rate, 2024 vs. 2025
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 (provisional) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of births | 3,628,934 | 3,606,400 | −1% |
| General fertility rate (births per 1,000 women 15–44) | 53.8 | 53.1 | −1% |
| Teen birth rate (15–19) | 12.6 | 11.7 (record low) | −7% |
Source: CDC/NCHS, Births: Provisional Data for 2025, Table 1 and report text.
The longer trend is a steady slide. The general fertility rate has generally declined since 2007, falling 23% overall, and the number of births fell an average of 2% a year from 2015 through 2020 before fluctuating since then (CDC). The 2025 total is about 710,000 fewer births, or 16% fewer, than in 2007, when the U.S. recorded 4,316,233 births, the most ever reported at the time (CDC, Births: Final Data for 2007).
Births are shifting to older parents
The 1% drop in births wasn’t spread evenly. Birth rates fell for women in their teens and 20s and rose for women 30 to 44:
| Mother’s age | 2024 rate | 2025 rate | Change | 2025 births |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 12.6 | 11.7 | −7.1% | 125,933 |
| 20–24 | 55.8 | 52.2 | −6.5% | 585,804 |
| 25–29 | 89.5 | 85.6 | −4.4% | 986,726 |
| 30–34 | 93.7 | 96.2 | +2.7% | 1,112,107 |
| 35–39 | 54.3 | 55.1 | +1.5% | 640,234 |
| 40–44 | 12.7 | 12.8 | +0.8% | 142,927 |
| 45–54 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0% | 11,319 |
Source: CDC/NCHS provisional 2025 data, Table 1. Rates are births per 1,000 women in each age group. Percent changes are Fathercraft calculations from the published rates.
Women 30 to 34 had the highest birth rate of any age group and accounted for 1,112,107 births, about 31% of the 2025 total. Births to women in their 20s fell by about 30,000 from 2024, while births to women 30 and older rose by about 19,000 combined, all of it among women 35 and older (births to women 30–34 were essentially flat). Altogether, 53% of 2025 births were to mothers 30 or older, and 22% were to mothers 35 or older.
What it means for dads: fewer, older fathers
Dads are getting older along with moms. By our count of CDC birth records, fathers at first births averaged 30.1 years in 2024 and all U.S. fathers averaged 32.1 at a child’s birth (the same as CDC’s newest published figure, for 2022), up from 27.4 in 1972 according to a 2017 study in Human Reproduction (average age of first-time fathers). Fewer births each year likely means fewer men becoming fathers each year, although CDC’s birth reports don’t publish a count of new fathers.
The teen birth rate is the one number in the 2025 report that hit a record low: 11.7 births per 1,000 women ages 15–19, down 7% in a year, with record lows for both younger (15–17) and older (18–19) teens. Teen birth rates have fallen 78% (ages 15–17) and 69% (ages 18–19) since 2007 (CDC).
Frequently asked questions
How many babies were born in the U.S. in 2025?
3,606,400 babies were born in the U.S. in 2025, according to provisional CDC data, down 1% from 3,628,934 in 2024.
What is the U.S. birth rate in 2025?
The U.S. general fertility rate was 53.1 births per 1,000 women ages 15–44 in 2025 (provisional CDC data), down 1% from 53.8 in 2024 and down 23% since 2007.
Is the teen birth rate at a record low?
The teen birth rate is: 11.7 births per 1,000 women ages 15–19 in 2025, a record low according to CDC. The provisional 2025 report describes the general fertility rate as down 1% from 2024 and 23% since 2007.
Are people having kids later?
Yes. In 2025, birth rates fell for women in their 20s and rose for women 30 to 44, and 53% of births were to mothers 30 or older (CDC provisional data). Fathers are older too: all U.S. fathers averaged 32.1 years at a child’s birth by our count of 2024 CDC records.
How many fewer babies are born now than in 2007?
About 710,000 fewer. The U.S. recorded 4,316,233 births in 2007 and 3,606,400 in 2025 (provisional), a drop of about 16% (CDC).
Related: Average age of first-time fathers · How many fathers are in the U.S.? · How much time dads spend with their kids
Sources
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Births: Provisional Data for 2025 (Vital Statistics Rapid Release No. 43, April 2026; Hamilton, Osterman & Gregory) — Births, general fertility rate and age-specific rates, 2024 vs. 2025
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Press release on provisional 2025 births (April 9, 2026)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Births: Final Data for 2007 (National Vital Statistics Reports Vol. 58, No. 24, 2010) — 2007 birth total
- Fathercraft — Average age of first-time fathers in the U.S. — Fathers’ ages from published studies and our count of CDC 2024 birth records
