CDC: Americans not having enough babies to replace ourselves

Americans are having fewer babies – and according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – that may not be a good thing.

We’re not making enough babies to replace ourselves.

For the population to reproduce itself at current numbers, the "total fertility rate" needs to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age over their lifetime, according an NBC News report.

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The latest data shows a current rate of 1,765.5 per 1,000 or 16 percent below what's needed to keep the population stable without including immigration, NBC News reported.

The total fertility rate has been declining for seven years, but the 2017 number represents the biggest drop in recent history, the report said.

The CDC did not offer an explanation for the decline.

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