US Births, Fertility and Infant Mortality
Quarterly provisional natality and infant mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics: the general fertility rate, birth rates by age of mother, teen birth rates, preterm and low-birthweight shares, caesarean and vaginal-birth-after-caesarean rates, newborn intensive care admissions and Medicaid-paid deliveries, together with the infant mortality rate by age at death and leading cause.
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | Q4-2023 | Q3-2023 | Q2-2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fertility1 | ||||||||||||||
| General fertility rate, women aged 15-44 | 52.7 | 53 | 53.3 | 53.6 | 53.7 | 54.5 | 54.6 | 54.6 | 53.9 | 54.6 | ||||
| Birth rates by age of mother8 | ||||||||||||||
| 10-14 years | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | ||||
| 15-19 years | 11.2 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 12.2 | 12.5 | 12.7 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 13 | ||||
| 20-24 years | 51.5 | 52.4 | 53.2 | 54.2 | 54.8 | 56.1 | 56.7 | 56.9 | 56.3 | 57.3 | ||||
| 25-29 years | 83.7 | 87.9 | 88.6 | 89.2 | 89.4 | 91.1 | 91.4 | 91.2 | 89.7 | 91.2 | ||||
| 30-34 years | 96.3 | 94.4 | 94.4 | 94.7 | 94.4 | 95.6 | 95.4 | 95.1 | 93.5 | 94.7 | ||||
| 35-39 years | 55.4 | 54.8 | 54.8 | 54.9 | 54.6 | 55.1 | 55 | 54.8 | 54 | 54.5 | ||||
| 40-44 years | 12.9 | 12.7 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 12.8 | 12.8 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 12.7 | ||||
| 45+ years | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | ||||
| Teen birth rates2 | ||||||||||||||
| 15-17 years | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 5 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 5.5 | ||||
| 18-19 years | 21.1 | 21.2 | 21.7 | 22.3 | 22.8 | 23.4 | 23.9 | 24.2 | 24 | 24.6 | ||||
| Preterm births3 | ||||||||||||||
| Total preterm (under 37 weeks) | 10.43 | 10.43 | 10.41 | 10.4 | 10.4 | 10.39 | 10.41 | 10.41 | 10.44 | 10.46 | ||||
| Early preterm (under 34 weeks) | 2.67 | 2.68 | 2.69 | 2.7 | 2.72 | 2.72 | 2.72 | 2.73 | 2.75 | 2.76 | ||||
| Late preterm (34-36 weeks) | 7.77 | 7.75 | 7.72 | 7.7 | 7.68 | 7.68 | 7.69 | 7.68 | 7.69 | 7.69 | ||||
| Term births3 | ||||||||||||||
| Early term (37-38 weeks) | 31.05 | 30.89 | 30.78 | 30.62 | 30.53 | 30.39 | 30.27 | 30.16 | 30.04 | 29.98 | ||||
| Full term (39-40 weeks) | 53.85 | 54.01 | 54.14 | 54.29 | 54.4 | 54.54 | 54.61 | 54.7 | 54.76 | 54.79 | ||||
| Late term (41 weeks) | 4.66 | 4.67 | 4.67 | 4.69 | 4.67 | 4.68 | 4.71 | 4.72 | 4.5 | 4.51 | ||||
| Low birthweight1 | ||||||||||||||
| Low birthweight (under 2,500 g) | 8.36 | 8.39 | 8.42 | 8.45 | 8.48 | 8.5 | 8.52 | 8.53 | 8.58 | 8.59 | ||||
| Cesarean delivery2 | ||||||||||||||
| All cesarean deliveries | 32.5 | 32.5 | 32.5 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 32.4 | 32.3 | ||||
| Low-risk cesarean deliveries | 26.9 | 26.9 | 26.9 | 26.8 | 26.7 | 26.7 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 26.6 | 26.6 | ||||
| Vaginal birth after cesarean1 | ||||||||||||||
| Vaginal birth after cesarean delivery | 16.3 | 16.1 | 16 | 15.8 | 15.7 | 15.6 | 15.5 | 15.4 | 15.3 | 15.2 | ||||
| Newborn intensive care admission1 | ||||||||||||||
| Admitted to newborn intensive care | 10.2 | 10.2 | 10.1 | 10 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | ||||
| Deliveries paid for by Medicaid1 | ||||||||||||||
| Delivery paid for by Medicaid | 38.3 | 38.6 | 39 | 39.4 | 39.7 | 39.9 | 40.1 | 40.5 | 40.8 | 41.1 | ||||
| INFANT MORTALITY1 | ||||||||||||||
| Infant mortality (under 1 year)2 | 5.36 | 5.45 | 5.46 | 5.5 | 5.54 | 5.56 | 5.61 | 5.61 | 5.63 | 5.65 | 5.69 | |||
| By age at death2 | ||||||||||||||
| Neonatal mortality (under 28 days) | 3.55 | 3.63 | 3.61 | 3.65 | 3.67 | 3.65 | 3.68 | 3.65 | 3.66 | 3.66 | 3.65 | |||
| Postneonatal mortality (28 days to 1 year) | 1.81 | 1.82 | 1.85 | 1.85 | 1.88 | 1.91 | 1.93 | 1.96 | 1.97 | 2 | 2.03 | |||
| By leading cause5 | ||||||||||||||
| Congenital malformations | 107.61 | 110.84 | 110.37 | 113.14 | 112.35 | 111.03 | 111.28 | 111.3 | 111.62 | 111.04 | 111.98 | |||
| Short gestation and low birthweight | 77.78 | 79.42 | 79.57 | 80.94 | 81.32 | 81.22 | 81.61 | 81.51 | 81.73 | 82.22 | 81.07 | |||
| Maternal complications | 32.09 | 33.93 | 32.89 | 33.47 | 33.15 | 31.91 | 31.87 | 31.1 | 31.87 | 31.97 | 32.53 | |||
| Sudden infant death syndrome | 33.39 | 36.49 | 36.94 | 36.11 | 37.26 | 37.24 | 37.93 | 39.01 | 40.24 | 40.75 | 42.18 | |||
| Unintentional injury | 31.54 | 33.18 | 33.03 | 33.72 | 34.09 | 34.67 | 35.33 | 35.65 | 35.79 | 36.39 | 37.27 |
Latest reading
General fertility rate, women aged 15-44 stood at 52.7 in Q2 2026. That is −0.6% from Q1 2026 and −1.9% from a year earlier. The series on this page is quarterly and runs from Q1 2024 to Q2 2026. Source: U.S. CDC / National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), Vital Statistics Rapid Release.
- Latest
- 52.7
- Q2 2026
- vs previous period
- −0.6%
- Q1 2026
- vs a year earlier
- −1.9%
About this data
Quarterly provisional natality and infant mortality statistics from the National Center for Health Statistics: the general fertility rate, birth rates by age of mother, teen birth rates, preterm and low-birthweight shares, caesarean and vaginal-birth-after-caesarean rates, newborn intensive care admissions and Medicaid-paid deliveries, together with the infant mortality rate by age at death and leading cause.
Frequently asked questions
- What does this table measure?
- It measures US fertility and birth indicators — the general fertility rate, birth rates by age of mother, teen birth rates, preterm and low birthweight shares — and infant mortality.
- Who publishes the data and how often?
- The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics publishes it quarterly through the Vital Statistics Rapid Release programme, with the series on this page running from the first quarter of 2023.
- What is the general fertility rate?
- It is the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in a year. It controls for the size of the childbearing population, which the raw number of births does not.
- How is infant mortality defined?
- Infant mortality is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births.
