Key Statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth – B Listing
- Birth control – See Contraception
- Births (as reported by women)
- Births (as reported by men)
- Birth expectations among women and men
- Breastfeeding
Births (as reported by women)
Age at first birth
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age in years (SE) | ||
| Mean age at first birth for women 15-49 years of age who ever had a liveborn child | 24.1 (0.18) | 24.2 (0.21) |
Note: The NSFG public-use files include a recode AGEBABY1 indicating age at first birth in whole years. A more precise mean age at first birth was calculated using the century month date of first birth (available on restricted-use files).
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Had a birth before age 20
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Percentage of women 15-49 who had a birth before 20 years of age | 27.3 (1.49) | 27.2 (1.50) |
Number of children ever born (parity)
Percent distribution of women 15-49 and 40-49 years of age by number of children ever born:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||||
| No children | 41.9 (1.21) | 14.9 (1.50) | 44.8 (1.24) | 16.9 (1.28) |
| One child | 16.5 (0.80) | 17.6 (1.79) | 16.2 (0.68) | 17.6 (1.48) |
| Two children | 22.5 (0.88) | 34.4 (2.01) | 20.7 (0.81) | 32.7 (1.62) |
| Three children | 12.7 (0.73) | 21.9 (2.12) | 12.2 (0.65) | 22.6 (1.41) |
| Four or more children | 6.3 (0.60) | 11.2 (1.61) | 6.0 (0.59) | 10.1 (1.22) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Marital or cohabiting status of mother at time of birth
Percent distribution by marital or cohabiting status of women 15-49 years of age when their first child was born:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Currently or formerly married | 53.9 (1.99) | 50.9 (1.44) |
| Cohabiting | 23.7 (1.42) | 24.1 (1.03) |
| Unmarried and not cohabiting | 22.5 (1.34) | 25.0 (1.45) |
Note: Marital or cohabiting status here refers to opposite-sex spouses or partners
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent distribution by marital or cohabiting status at birth for births occurring in the 5 years before interview to women 15-49 years of age:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Currently or formerly married | 61.3 (2.29) | 61.0 (1.97) |
| Cohabiting | 26.4 (1.98) | 26.3 (1.44) |
| Unmarried and not cohabiting | 12.4 (1.17) | 12.7 (1.20) |
Note: Marital or cohabiting status here refers to opposite-sex spouses or partners
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Premarital/nonmarital status of births
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Percentage of women 15-49 years of age who ever had a birth who have ever had a nonmarital birth | 49.5 (1.93) | 52.6 (1.58) |
Note: Marital status here refers to opposite-sex spouses
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Births (as reported by men)
Age at first birth he fathered
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Mean age at the birth of first biological child for men 15-49 years of age who ever fathered a biological child | 26.5 (0.21) | 26.6 (0.22) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Fathered a biological child before age 20
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Percentage of men 15-49 who have ever fathered a biological child before 20 years of age | 10.7 (1.00) | 10.4 (0.96) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Number of biological children ever fathered
Percent distribution of men aged 15-49 and 40-49 by number of biological children they ever fathered:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||||
| No children | 55.3 (1.48) | 23.3 (1.96) | 55.7 (1.72) | 23.6 (1.61) |
| One child | 15.1 (0.99) | 18.4 (1.90) | 14.0 (0.66) | 16.7 (1.50) |
| Two children | 16.6 (1.04) | 31.8 (2.45) | 18.2 (1.03) | 33.6 (1.94) |
| Three or more children | 13.0 (0.94) | 26.4 (2.19) | 12.2 (0.88) | 26.0 (1.87) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Marital or cohabiting status of father at time of birth
Percent distribution by marital or cohabiting status of men 15-49 years of age when their first biological child was born:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Currently or formerly married to the child’s mother | 60.1 (2.14) | 61.0 (1.97) |
| Cohabiting with the child’s mother | 26.1 (1.81) | 26.3 (1.44) |
| Unmarried and not cohabiting with the child’s mother | 13.8 (1.20) | 12.7 (1.20) |
Note: Marital or cohabiting status here refers to opposite-sex spouses or partners
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Birth expectations among women and men
Average number of births expected by women and men in their lifetimes
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||
| Percent (SE) | ||||
| Average number of births expected |
2.2 (0.05) | 2.1 (0.06) | 2.1 (0.04) | 2.1 (0.03) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent distribution of women and men 15-49 years of age by expected number of births in their lifetimes
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | ||||
| Percentage expecting: | Percent (SE) | |||
| No births | 10.9 (0.68) | 14.2 (0.81) | 13.0 (0.82) | 14.9 (0.79) |
| 1 birth | 14.2 (0.83) | 14.7 (0.91) | 14.6 (0.64) | 14.8 (0.70) |
| 2 births | 38.1 (0.95) | 38.9 (1.24) | 38.7 (1.04) | 40.8 (0.99) |
| 3 births | 24.7 (0.95) | 20.5 (0.92) | 22.4 (0.93) | 19.5 (0.85) |
| 4 or more births | 12.1 (1.29) | 10.7 (1.45) | 11.3 (0.72) | 10.1 (0.68) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Breastfeeding
Initiation of breastfeeding
| Singleton babies born 2014-2016 |
|
|---|---|
| Percentage of babies who were breastfed at all | 82.4 (1.24) |
Note: These births occurred in 2014-2016 to mothers aged 15-49 at time of interview in 2015-2019.
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Duration of breastfeeding
| Singleton babies born 2014-2016 |
|
|---|---|
| Percentage of babies who were breastfed 3 months or more |
62.2 (1.68) |
Note: These births occurred in 2014-2016 to mothers aged 15-49 at time of interview in 2015-2019.
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS