U.S. Birth Rate Increases

"The continued improvement in teen birth rates is good news for all of us who are working to help our teenagers make responsible choices," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "And I'm also pleased that the number of pregnant women receiving prenatal care has continued to increase, while the number of pregnant women who smoke during pregnancy has continued to decline. However, the increase in births to unmarried mothers, as well as the increase in teen mothers who smoke, are troubling."

There were 3,941,553 babies born in 1998, a two percent increase from 1997.  This increase in the number of U.S. births was fueled by increases in birth rates for women in their twenties, the principal childbearing ages, and for women in their thirties. According to the report, the birth rate for women in their early twenties (20-24) increased in 1998 after falling 6 percent during the 1990's, and birth rates for women in their thirties are now at their highest levels in at least three decades. Meanwhile, the overall birth rate for teens aged 15-19 dropped 2 percent in 1998, to 51.1 per 1,000 teens aged 15-19. Overall, the teen birth rate declined by 18 percent from 1991 to 1998, with all states recording a decline in the birth rate of 15-19 year-olds between 1991 and 1998.

The number of births to unmarried women also rose to 1,293,567 in 1998. The percent of all births to unmarried women also increased from 32.4 percent in 1997 to 32.8 percent in 1998, while the birth rate for unmarried women increased slightly to 44.3 births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 in 1998. However, the teen out-of-wedlock birth rate dropped again in 1998, to 41.5 births per 1,000 unmarried teens aged 15-19, down 11 percent from its high in 1994.

"The continued improvement in teen birth rates is good news for all of us who are working to help our teenagers make responsible choices," said HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala. "And I'm also pleased that the number of pregnant women receiving prenatal care has continued to increase, while the number of pregnant women who smoke during pregnancy has continued to decline. However, the increase in births to unmarried mothers, as well as the increase in teen mothers who smoke, are troubling."

The rate of first births declined to its lowest level ever, 26.4 first births per 1,000 women aged 15-44, and cigarette smoking during pregnancy declined again in 1998, to 12.9 percent, continuing a trend observed since 1989. However, tobacco use by pregnant teenagers continued to increase in 1998, particularly for non-Hispanic black teens.

This article was taken from a press release by HHS.

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