The birth rate among teenagers in the United States dropped by nearly half from 1991 to 2011, with declines seen among all of the largest population groups, the National Center for Health Statistics reported.
The birth rate for women aged 15-19 years was 31.3 per 1,000 – a record low – in 2011, down just over 49% from the rate of 61.8 per 1,000 teenagers in 1991. Childbearing fell by 50% or more for non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska native teenagers over that time period, and dropped at least 60% for non-Hispanic black and Asian/Pacific Islander teens, the NCHS said.
Data from the National Vital Statistics System’s Natality Date File, which includes information on all births in the United States, show that a brief increase in births occurred among teenagers aged 15-19 years in 2006 and 2007. Since then, Hispanic teenagers have had the largest decline (34%), followed by non-Hispanic blacks (24%) and non-Hispanic whites (20%).
The declines in the teen birth rate over the last two decades "are sustained, widespread, and broad-based," the NCHS said, noting that "3.6 million more births to teenagers would have occurred from 1992 through 2011" if the rates "had remained at their 1991 levels."
