Birth Statistics
Consider the most recent statistics available from the National Center for Health Statistics, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
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In 2007, 4,317,119 babies were born in the US.
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The mean age for women having their first baby in 2007 is 25 years, compared with 25.2 in 2003.
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Birth rates for women 35 to 39 (47.5 births per 1,000 women) and 40 to 44 (9.5 births per 1,000 women) were the highest in four decades.
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The birth rate for teenagers ages 15 to 19 years increased 5 percent since 2005. The current rate for this age group is 42.5 per 1,000 births.
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In 2006, the twin birth rate was 32.5 twin births per 1,000 women.
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The preterm birth rate (less than 37 weeks in the womb) was 12.7 percent in 2007.
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Cesarean deliveries accounted for 31.8 percent of all births in 2007, an increase of over 50 percent in the past decade.
Online Medical Reviewer:
Akin, Louise RN BSN
Online Medical Reviewer:
Bowers, Nancy A. RN, BSN, MPH
Last Annual Review Date:
7/14/2009