U.S. Birth Rates vs Death Rates (2014–2023)

Over the past decade, the U.S. crude birth rate has steadily declined from 12.5 to 11.0 per 1,000 people, while the death rate has risen from 8.2 to 9.1. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused a sharp spike in deaths, pushing the death rate above 10 for the first time in modern history. The narrowing gap between births and deaths has significant implications for population growth and the age structure of the country.