Twin Births Declined 7% During First Year of the Pandemic

Following an average annual decline of 2% from 2014 to 2019, the number of twin births fell by 7% from 2019 to 2020 and increased by 2% from 2020 to 2021.  The data is featured in a new report released today by  CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

The report “Changes in Twin Births in the United States, 2019–2021” examines changes in the number and rate of twin births from 2019 to 2021 by month and year of birth and age and race and Hispanic origin of the mother.

Other findings documented in the report:

• The number of twin births in the United States fell by 7% from 2019 to 2020, compared with a 3% decline in the number of singleton births.
• The twin birth rate declined by 3%. By month, the largest declines from 2019 to 2020 occurred in November and December when the number of twin births declined by 15% and 19%.
• The twin birth rate from 2019 to 2020 declined by 11% for women aged 40 and over, 5% for those aged 30–39, and 1% for females under age 30.
• From 2020 to 2021, the total number of twin births rose by 2%.
• By month, the twin birth rate declined by 7% in January 2021 compared with the year before and generally remained stable until the end of the year, when rates increased by 7% in November and 14% in December.