The U.S. teen birth rate declined by 7% to reach another record low in 2021, according to the most recent final report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The national rate of 13.9 births per 1,000 girls and women ages 15 to 19 marked a drop from 15.0 per 1,000 in 2020, with 29 states seeing notable declines in their specific rates. Since 2009, the national teen birth rate has hit a new low each year, fueling a broader trend in which the rate has dropped by 67% since 2007 and by 78% since 1991. Such declines may be due to less sexual activity among teens and more use of birth control among those who are sexually active, according to the CDC.