The US fertility rate just hit a record low. Heres why that matters. [Video]

Americans are having fewer babies.

According to a newly published Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, 3.6 million babies were born in 2023, about 54.4 live births for every 1,000 women between the ages of 15 to 44. This is down by 2% from 2022 and the lowest it’s been in over a century.

Those who are having children are waiting longer to become parents. Per the report, the teen birth rate is at a record low of 13.2 births per 1,000 teens between 15 and 19. Birth rates were highest for women ages 30 to 34, and the only age group with an increased birth rate were women 40 and older, at 13 births for eber 1,000 women, though this is still the lowest of every age group.

The fertility rate has been trending down for years, but there was a mini baby boom during the pandemic which some economists believe is due to the rise in remote work, reports Axios. Experts …