Births in the United States, 2015

An NCHS report presents several key demographic and maternal and infant health indicators using 2015 final birth data.

Trends in general fertility rates, age-specific birth rates, cesarean and low-risk cesarean delivery, and preterm birth rates are presented.

Findings:

• There were 3.978 million births in the United States in 2015, down less than 1% from 2014.
• The 2015 U.S. general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women aged 15–44) was down 1% from 2014.
• Birth rates dropped in 2015 to record lows among women under age 30 and rose for those aged 30–44.
• The cesarean delivery rate declined to 32.0% of births in 2015; the preterm birth rate rose slightly to 9.63% from 2014 to 2015.