Births to unmarrried women

Children of unmarried mothers are at higher risk of adverse birth outcomes such as low birthweight and infant mortality than are children of married mothers.  They are also more likely to live in poverty than children of married mothers.   Children are at greater risk for adverse consequences when born to a single mother, because the social, emotional, and financial resources available to the family may be limited.


The report "America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being: 2011" has current data about "Births to Unmarried Women", some of which are shown below.

In 2009, 41% of all births were to unmarried women.

Nearly half of first births were to unmarried women in 2009. Almost three-fourths of births to women under age 25 having their first child were nonmarital.


The percentage of all births to unmarried women rose from 18% of total births in 1980 to 33% in 1994. From 1994 to 2002, the percentage ranged from 32% to 34%. The percentage has increased more rapidly since 2002, reaching 41% in 2009.

Between 1980 and 1994, the birth rate for unmarried women ages 15–44 increased from 29.4 to 46.2 per 1,000.

Between 1995 and 2002, the rate fluctuated little, ranging from 42.9 to 44.3 per 1,000.

From 2002 to 2008, however, the rate increased from 43.7 to 52.5 per 1,000, before declining to 50.6 per 1,000 in 2009.

The birth rate among unmarried adolescents ages 15–19 declined between 1994 and 2005, increased in 2006 and 2007, and then decreased slightly in 2008.

Among adolescent subgroups, the rate for adolescents ages 15–17 declined from 31.7 per 1,000 in 1994 to 19.7 in 2005 and has changed little since (it was 20.6 in 2008).

For adolescents ages 18–19, the birth rate declined from 1994 to 2003 and increased annually from 2003 to 2007; the rate declined in 2008, when it was 61.9 per 1,000.

Birth rates for unmarried women in their twenties changed relatively little during the mid- to late 1990s. In the 2000s, for women ages 20–24, the rate rose from 70.5 per 1,000 in 2002 to 79.2 in 2008, and, for women ages 25–29, the rate rose from 58.5 per 1,000 in 2000 to 76.1 in 2008.

Birth rates for unmarried women ages 30–44 have steadily increased since the late 1990s.

You may find it helpful to read the chapters “Who is the pregnant single mother?” in our book “How To Survive Your Teen’s Pregnancy“.

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