Child Health A-Z

Birth Statistics

Consider the most recent statistics available from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

In 2006, 4,140,419 babies were born in the US.
The mean age for women having their first baby in 2003 is 25.2 years, compared with 25.1 years in 2002.
Birth rates for women 35 to 39 (46.3 births per 1,000 women) and 40 to 44 (9.1 births per 1,000 women) were the highest in more than three decades.
The birth rate for teenagers, ages 15 to 19 years, dropped 2 percent in 2005. The current rate for teens is 40.4 births per 1,000 teens.
In 2003, the twin birth rate continued to rise, increasing 1 percent between 2002 and 2003. The current rate is 31.5 twin births per 1,000 women.
The preterm birth rate (less than 37 weeks in the womb) rose to 12.7 percent for 2004-2005.
Cesarean deliveries accounted for 30.2 percent of all births in 2005.

Last Update
February 3, 2008

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