The annual number of U.S. births has declined by 2% since last year. According to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the annual number of births in the States has decreased overall by 17% since peaking in 2007. The general fertility rate (births per 1,000 women) has dropped as well by 21% over that time. Altogether, there were 3,596,017 births recorded in the U.S. last year, with the number totaling 3,667,758 in 2022. CDC data has also found that fewer women received proper care while pregnant in 2023 compared to 2022. The number of women who received prenatal care during the first trimester of their pregnancy dropped by 1% and the number of women who received no prenatal care at all increased by 5%. (UPI)