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I decided not to use the following video for U.S. birth rates continue to fall while life expectancy rises for World Population Day 2020 because I found one that was livelier, even though this one had better facts and a more comprehensive description. I don't always follow the same criteria, which is why editing is an art, not a science.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that 3.7 million children were born in the U.S. last year, down 1 percent from 2018 and the lowest total number of births since 1985. Birth rates dropped among women in nearly every age (except women in the early 40s) and race group.
The downward trajectory has been consistent, save for one rise in 2014, since the 2008 financial crisis, and demographers are now thinking it could be a permanent change, since the decline continued even after the economy improved.
Heading into a possibly severe recession because of the coronavirus, experts don't think early predictions of a pandemic baby boom will hold true. "It's more likely that young women will delay becoming pregnant during this time of uncertainty," said one expert.
