Amid declining birthrates in the United States, proponents of Catholic marriages and pro-life causes have sounded alarm bells, requesting action be taken to combat the crisis. According to data from the CDC, from 2023 to 2024, the general fertility rate declined from 54.5 to 53.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. This means that the general fertility rate was less than 1.6 children per woman in 2024, well below the “replacement rate,” which is about 2.1 per woman over the course of her life.
The CDC also found that in 2024, birth rates for women ages 15 to 34 declined, while rates for women 35 to 39 remained unchanged. Notably, birth rates for women aged 40 to 44 increased by 2%. The CDC further noted that while the general fertility rate declined, the number of births rose 1% from 2023 to 2024 to a total of 3,628,934. This year’s data continues the downward trend from last year, which also saw birth and fertility rates drop to record lows.
For more details of the CDC’s findings and pro-family strategies from Catholic marriage expert Brad Wilcox, click here to access the Catholic News Agency website.