Births in the United States, 2015

This report presents several key demographic and maternal and infant health indicators using 2015 final birth data. Trends in general fertility rates, age-specific birth rates, cesarean and low-risk cesarean delivery, and preterm birth rates are presented. Data are from the national vital statistics birth files.Key findings: Data from the National Vital Statistics System\ue2\u20ac\ua2 There were 3.978 million births in the United States in 2015, down less than 1% from 2014.\ue2\u20ac\ua2 The 2015 U.S. general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women aged 15\ue2\u20ac\u201c44) was down 1% from 2014.\ue2\u20ac\ua2 Birth rates dropped in 2015 to record lows among women under age 30 and rose for those aged 30\ue2\u20ac\u201c44.\ue2\u20ac\ua2 The cesarean delivery rate declined to 32.0% of births in 2015; the preterm birth rate rose slightly to 9.63% from 2014 to 2015.Suggested citation: Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK. Births in the United States, 2015. NCHS data brief, no 258. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2016.CS26936