Births: Final Data for 2023
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Level 4 by non-clinical design analogy (descriptive population-based registry report).
OpenAlex W4405877893 · doi:10.15620/cdc/175204
What was done
The report analyzed 2023 birth certificate records for all registered live births in the United States. Descriptive tabulations were generated for maternal demographics, healthcare utilization (including timing of prenatal care and payment sources), delivery methods, and infant health characteristics, comparing 2023 figures against 2022 and prior trends.
What was found
A total of 3,596,017 births occurred in the United States in 2023, down 2% from 2022. The general fertility rate declined 3% to 54.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15–44, and the total fertility rate declined 2% to 1,621.0 births per 1,000 women. Birth rates for females aged 15–19 declined 4%, rates rose less than 1% for ages 20–24, and rates fell 1% to 3% for ages 25–44. First-trimester prenatal care initiation dropped to 76.1%, and gestational smoking declined to 3.0%. Cesarean deliveries rose 1% to 32.3%, while Medicaid funded 41.5% of births (up from 41.3%). Preterm birth (10.41%) and low birthweight (8.58%) rates remained essentially unchanged. Twin birth rates dropped 2% to 30.7 per 1,000, and triplet/higher-order multiple birth rates fell 6% to 73.8 per 100,000.
Why it matters
This report provides the definitive annual benchmark for national fertility, obstetric care utilization, and neonatal outcomes in the United States, tracking ongoing shifts in demographic trends and maternal healthcare coverage.
Limits
The findings are purely descriptive and rely exclusively on birth certificate data, which are subject to variations in state reporting practices, clerical inaccuracies, and unmeasured socioeconomic or clinical confounders that cannot establish causal mechanisms.
Cited by
- supports CDC data shows that total US births dropped by 1% to roughly 3.6 million babies, continuing a nearly two-decade decline since the Great Recession.