The overall birth rate in the U.S. has declined over the past few decades. One aspect of this that parents can appreciate is that far fewer teens (ages 15 to 19) are having babies.
There are a few ways to look at the numbers, and by each measure, both the teen birth rate and the overall birth rate have declined significantly, although the two peaked at different points and may be influenced by somewhat different factors.
Here’s what we do know, and what researchers think may be the cause.
Teen Birth Rates Peaked In The 90s; Overall Birth Rates A Decade Later
Teen birth rates have been on the decline since a peak in 1991, a trend the CDC has attributed to both more teens using birth control and fewer teens having sex. The CDC’s most recent stats find the teen birth rate falling an incredible 78% between 1991 and 2021. Data from Statista show that the decline has been fairly steady over that period, though the decrease accelerated slightly in the last decade.
Meanwhile, the overall birth rate in the U.S. peaked in 2007 and has been declining since, according to NPR, with a drop of about 27% since that high point.
The decreasing teen birth rate is, of course, part of the overall birth rate and contributes to those changes, but until 2007, adults were having enough babies to more than offset it.
So, What Are The Reasons?
For teens, better sex education and access to contraceptives are significant factors.
The 1990s were the period in which there was a strong movement to replace abstinence-only education with more comprehensive programs that also taught teens about safe(r) sex. Kids started getting more warnings about partner coercion and more advice to wait until they were ready, rather than rushing into sexual activity due to peer pressure.
There was also a strong movement to make birth control accessible. One study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that better contraceptive use deserved significant credit for the decline in teen pregnancy from 1991 to 2002.
“The overall pregnancy risk [in teens aged 15-19] index declined 38%, with 86% of the decline attributable to improved contraceptive use. Among adolescents aged 15 to 17 years, 77% of the decline in pregnancy risk was attributable to improved contraceptive use.”
What Other Factors Drive The Declining Birth Rate?
There are several factors that can decrease the risk of a teen pregnancy for an individual. While access to birth control and comprehensive sex education are important, a Guttmacher analysis from 2000 examined the period of time before, during, and after that peak of teen birth rates, and saw some correlations.
The data showed that coming from a larger family increased the likelihood of a teen pregnancy, and that the rise in divorce and less stable home environments contributed to the peak of teen pregnancies. By contrast, the 1990s saw an increase in the education level of mothers, and the data suggested that having a mother with a higher education level correlated with a decreased risk of teen pregnancy.
Taken together, this all affirms that family situations can have a significant effect on teen birth rates.
And The Economy?
The Bloomberg School of Public Health considers the economy a significant factor.
Opinion polling dating back to 2013 found that parents wanted, on average, to have 2-3 kids but feared they couldn’t afford it. They cited job instability, housing insecurity, and the rising costs of child care.
It’s a supported concern. Many families now report going into debt to buy groceries, and earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services cut off childcare subsidies in five states.
Housing costs have continued to rise since the post-pandemic rebound, and Fortune reported late last year that 15 million more adults were still living with their parents than a decade earlier. The financial magazine cites the cost of buying or even renting, while wages stagnate, as the reason.
Taken all together, the data seems to suggest that helping prevent accidental pregnancies (with education and contraceptives) started the decline of the teen birth rate, and world conditions (including employment conditions and financial struggles) carried on the trend by decreasing the likelihood of intentional ones.
