Definition
Number of live births per 1,000 population.Numerator
Number of live births.Denominator
Number of persons in population.Why Is This Important?
Tracking birth rate patterns among Utah and U.S. women as a whole is critical to understanding population growth and change in this country and in Utah. Birth rates directly relate to a population's need for timely and appropriate preconception, prenatal, neonatal, and postpartum care.How Are We Doing?
In 2020, there were 45,724 live births to Utah residents, a rate of 14.1 per 1,000 Utahns. This is a small decrease from the 2019 birth rate of 14.6, and ultimately, the lowest birth rate in a decade.How Do We Compare With the U.S.?
Utah continued to report a higher birth rate than the U.S., with 14.1 live births per 1,000 total population in 2020. The provisional U.S. birth rate in 2020 was 10.9 per 1,000 population, a decrease from the 2019 rate of 11.4.What Is Being Done?
Having an overall high birth rate is not a risk factor for poor health outcomes. However, elevated teen pregnancy rates are a concern as these pregnancies are considered to be at higher risk.
The U.S. final birth rate for teenagers in 2020 was 15.4 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19, down 8% from 2019 (16.7), reaching another record low for this age group.
The Utah teen birth rate for those 15 through 19 years also decreased to a rate of 10.7 in 2020. A variety of educational and prevention activities are targeted to decrease teen birth rates.
