Share of births by age of mother in United States
United States: Share of births by age of mother was 3.98 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.98
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
150th
of 236 countries
All-time high
19.28
in 1973
All-time low
3.98
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Share of births by age of mother in United States, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, share of births by age of mother in United States stood at 3.98. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 42.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births by age of mother in United States peaked at 19.28 in 1973 and was at its lowest, 3.98, in 2023.
United States ranks 150th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Share of births by age of mother in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 12.15 | — |
| 1951 | 12 | -1.2% |
| 1952 | 11.64 | -3.0% |
| 1953 | 11.82 | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 11.95 | +1.1% |
| 1955 | 12.03 | +0.7% |
| 1956 | 12.39 | +3.0% |
| 1957 | 12.68 | +2.4% |
| 1958 | 12.8 | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 13.07 | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 13.63 | +4.3% |
| 1961 | 14.1 | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 14.12 | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 13.86 | -1.8% |
| 1964 | 14.23 | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 15.86 | +11.5% |
| 1966 | 17.33 | +9.3% |
| 1967 | 17.26 | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 17.05 | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 16.76 | -1.7% |
| 1970 | 16.91 | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 17.57 | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 18.89 | +7.5% |
| 1973 | 19.28 | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 18.99 | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 18.63 | -1.9% |
| 1976 | 17.81 | -4.4% |
| 1977 | 17.02 | -4.4% |
| 1978 | 16.45 | -3.3% |
| 1979 | 15.93 | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 15.49 | -2.7% |
| 1981 | 14.88 | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 14.3 | -3.9% |
| 1983 | 13.71 | -4.1% |
| 1984 | 13.02 | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 12.53 | -3.7% |
| 1986 | 12.28 | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 12.17 | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 12.4 | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 12.73 | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 12.7 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 12.69 | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 12.52 | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 12.67 | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 12.87 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 12.91 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 12.8 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 12.68 | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 12.55 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 12.35 | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 11.92 | -3.5% |
| 2001 | 11.47 | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 10.95 | -4.5% |
| 2003 | 10.47 | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 10.32 | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 10.2 | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 10.28 | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 10.37 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 10.34 | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 10.04 | -2.9% |
| 2010 | 9.33 | -7.0% |
| 2011 | 8.47 | -9.2% |
| 2012 | 7.76 | -8.4% |
| 2013 | 6.97 | -10.1% |
| 2014 | 6.27 | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 5.74 | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 5.32 | -7.4% |
| 2017 | 5.05 | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 4.8 | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 4.63 | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 4.4 | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 4.07 | -7.5% |
| 2022 | 4 | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 3.98 | -0.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 3.98 is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.18, 1.8× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 12.26 | 11.64 | 13.07 | 10 |
| 1960s | 15.42 | 13.63 | 17.33 | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.75 | 15.93 | 19.28 | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.35 | 12.17 | 15.49 | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.67 | 12.35 | 12.91 | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.64 | 10.04 | 11.92 | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.43 | 4.63 | 9.33 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.11 | 3.98 | 4.4 | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More population data for United States
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.8 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1369 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.0241 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 375,392 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.4762 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.1565 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.129 (2100)
- Population density 46.05 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 19.91 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births by age of mother in United States?
- Share of births by age of mother in United States was 3.98 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births by age of mother recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 19.28 in 1973.
- What is the lowest share of births by age of mother recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.98 in 2023.
- How does United States rank for share of births by age of mother?
- United States ranks 150th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of births by age of mother rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births by age of mother. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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