SHOCKING statistics reveal that not enough babies are being born to replace the US population - as birth rates plunge to a 30 year low.

The report revealed that the fertility rate dropped to a "record low" last year and there were two per cent fewer births.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed the findings of their 2018 study on Wednesday.

There were 3,791,712 registered births in the US, a figure lower than the amount of babies needed to replenish the population.

TWO KIDS PER WOMAN

The total fertility rate, which is the amount of offspring a hypothetical woman will have in her lifetime, had also dropped.

For 2018, that figure stood at 1,729.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44, which marked four years where the rate had decreased.

In order to keep the current population stable, there would need to be 2,100 births per 1,000 women based on that metric.

This means that each woman in the US would need to have at least two children, if not more.

FEWER TEENS BIRTHS

Between 2017 and 2018, overall fertility rates had decreased among all races.

The data showed a two per cent decline for white and black women, three per cent for Hispanic women and four per cent for Asian women.

Teen birth rates, for women aged 15 to 19, were also shown to have fallen by seven per cent.

The study also found that fewer babies were born to a mother who said she used tobacco products - with a noted six per cent decline.

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But babies born prematurely and early-term births saw a slight increase.

Some believe this could be because more women in their late 30s and 40s are choosing to have children.

Maternal age is a risk factor, Dr Rahul Gupt, a chief medical and health officer, told CNN.