Why Americans are having fewer kids

Despite all the new moms featured on your Insta feed, baby fever is gradually losing its grip on Americans across the country.

Some 3.6 million children were born in the US last year, down from a recent peak of 4.3 million in 2007 and the lowest figure since 1979, according to recent federal data. The US fertility rate also experienced a decline last year, falling to its lowest level since 1930 (1.62 births per woman).

What’s driving the trend? Experts say there are a wide range of reasons why Americans aren’t having as many kids (apart from their in-laws applying too much pressure):

• Teen pregnancies have declined by 68% compared to 2007 levels, largely due to increased access to contraception.
• Women are increasingly opting to pursue higher education and establish fulfilling careers, raising the “opportunity cost” associated with having a child.
• More younger Americans are delaying having children until they can financially support themselves – a goal that’s increasingly occurring later in life, due to factors like student debt and rising costs of living.
• And speaking of rising costs: the price of childcare has increased by 263% over the past 35 years, or twice the level of inflation over the same period.

🌏 The US isn’t alone in experiencing a recent birth rate decline. A large majority of the world’s richest countries have seen fertility rates plummet in recent decades, with the trend attributed to many of the same factors seen in America. Some of these countries have implemented a wide range of measures to increase birth rates, including government-run dating apps, expanded parental leave, and cash grants for having children.