Births: Final Data for 2021
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Filetype[PDF-1.34 MB]


English
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  • Description:
    Objectives—This report presents 2021 data on U.S. births according to a variety of characteristics. Trends in fertility patterns and maternal and infant characteristics are described and interpreted.

    Methods—Descriptive tabulations of data reported on the birth certificates of the 3.66 million births that occurred in 2021 are presented. Data are presented for maternal age, live-birth order, race and Hispanic origin, marital status, tobacco use, prenatal care, source of payment for the delivery, method of delivery, gestational age, birthweight, and plurality. Selected data by mother's state of residence and birth rates by age also are shown. Trend data for 2010 to 2021 are presented for selected items and by race and Hispanic origin for 2016–2021.

    Results—A total of 3,664,292 births were registered in the United States in 2021, up 1% from 2020. The general fertility rate rose 1% from 2020 to 56.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 in 2021. The birth rate for females aged 15–19 fell 7% between 2020 and 2021; birth rates declined 3% for women aged 20–24 and rose 2% to 5% for women aged 25–44. The total fertility rate rose 1% to 1,664.0 births per 1,000 women in 2021. Birth rates declined for unmarried women but increased for married women from 2020 to 2021. Prenatal care beginning in the first trimester rose to 78.3% in 2021; the percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy declined to 4.6%. The cesarean delivery rate increased to 32.1% in 2021; Medicaid was the source of payment for 41.0% of births. The preterm birth rate rose 4% to 10.49%; the low birthweight rate also rose (to 8.52%). Increases in the twin birth rate (31.2 per 1,000 births in 2021) and the triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate (80.0 per 100,000 births) were not significant.

    Suggested citation Osterman MJK, Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Driscoll AK, Valenzuela CP. Births: Final data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 72, no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2023. DOI: https://dx.doi. org/10.15620/cdc:122047 .

    CS335457

  • Series:
    NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports
  • Document Type:
    Journal Issue
  • Genre:
    Statistics
  • Place as Subject:
    United States
  • CIO:
    National Center for Health Statistics (U.S.)
  • Volume:
    71
  • Issue:
    1
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