Share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States
United States: Share of children who were born outside of marriage was 40.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
40.5%
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
23rd
of 42 countries
All-time high
41.0%
in 2009
All-time low
5.3%
in 1960
Years of data
61
1960–2020
Share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States, 1960–2020
Source: OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
United States recorded 40.5% for share of children who were born outside of marriage in 2020.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and down 0.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States peaked at 41.0% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 1960.
That places United States 23rd out of 42 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.3% | — |
| 1961 | 5.6% | +5.7% |
| 1962 | 5.9% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 6.3% | +6.8% |
| 1964 | 6.9% | +9.5% |
| 1965 | 7.7% | +11.6% |
| 1966 | 8.4% | +9.1% |
| 1967 | 9.0% | +7.1% |
| 1968 | 9.7% | +7.8% |
| 1969 | 10.0% | +3.1% |
| 1970 | 10.7% | +7.0% |
| 1971 | 11.3% | +5.6% |
| 1972 | 12.4% | +9.7% |
| 1973 | 13.0% | +4.8% |
| 1974 | 13.2% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | 14.3% | +8.3% |
| 1976 | 14.8% | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 15.5% | +4.7% |
| 1978 | 16.3% | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 17.1% | +4.9% |
| 1980 | 18.4% | +7.6% |
| 1981 | 18.9% | +2.7% |
| 1982 | 19.4% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 20.3% | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 21.0% | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 22.0% | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 23.4% | +6.4% |
| 1987 | 24.5% | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 25.7% | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 27.1% | +5.4% |
| 1990 | 28.0% | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 29.5% | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 30.1% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 31.0% | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 32.6% | +5.2% |
| 1995 | 32.2% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 32.4% | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 32.4% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 32.8% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 33.0% | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 33.2% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 33.5% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 34.0% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 34.6% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 35.8% | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 36.9% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 38.5% | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 39.7% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 40.6% | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 41.0% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 40.8% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 40.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 40.7% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 40.6% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 40.2% | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 40.3% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 39.8% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 39.8% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 39.6% | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 40.0% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 40.5% | +1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.5% | 5.3% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.9% | 10.7% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.1% | 18.4% | 27.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 31.4% | 28.0% | 33.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 33.2% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.2% | 39.6% | 40.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.5% | 40.5% | 40.5% | 1 |
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)
- World population growth 0.1% (2100)
- Population density 46.05 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 19.91 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States?
- Share of children who were born outside of marriage in United States was 40.5% in 2020, according to OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who were born outside of marriage recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 41.0% in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of children who were born outside of marriage recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 1960.
- How does United States rank for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- United States ranks 23rd out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of children who were born outside of marriage rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.