U.S. births falling; teen births fewest since 1946

The number of babies born to teens and some women in their 20s hit new record lows in 2011. The number of U.S. births has been falling since 2007. Then it peaked at 4.3 million. The number of births to ages 15-19 dropped 10 percent, to 329,797, the fewest since 1946. Teen birthrates fell 8 percent to 31.3 per 1,000, the lowest recorded since 1940. The rate has declined more than 3 percent a year since 1991. The number of births to women 20-24 declined 3 percent, and the birthrate dropped 5 percent, to 85.3 per 1,000, the lowest ever recorded in the USA. For ages 25-29, the birthrate, 107.2 per 1,000 women, was the lowest since 1976. For unmarried women, birth numbers and rates declined, and the rate for first births is also down, from 25.9 per 1,000 women ages 15-44 to 25.4 per 1,000.