The fertility rate in the U.S. dropped to an all-time low in 2024 with fewer than 1.6 children being born per woman, federal data released Thursday shows. The U.S. was once among only a few developed countries with a rate that ensured each generation had enough children to replace itself — about 2.1 children per woman. But it has been sliding in America for close to two decades as more women are waiting longer to have children or never taking that step at all.
