Hispanic Pregnancy Rate Drops to Record Low Numbers; Mexican Pregnancy Rates Show Largest Decline

The pregnancy rate among Hispanic women has fallen in the U.S.

According to The New York Times, Hispanic women have had the highest fertility rates in the country but are choosing to have fewer children.

In 2011, the American birthrate has hit a record low with 63 births per 1,000 women from the ages of 15 to 44, the lowest rate since 1920. In comparison, the baby boom years peak (1957) saw 122.7 births per 1,000 women.

What led to the decline are the births by immigrant women.

Pew Research Center noted the drop in pregnancy rates by Mexican immigrant women fell by 23 percent, while U.S.-born women pregnancy rates fell by six percent.

The decline follows a trend set in 2007, also led by immigrant women. From 2007 to 2013, the overall number of births declined by seven percent, but that number is small compared to immigrant figures of 13 percent. In 2010, four million children were born in the U.S., with roughly 3.1 million by U.S.-born women compared to 930,000 by immigrant women.

There could be a range of reasons why there were fewer births than in previous years, with Pew stating the economic problems being "closely linked" to the fertility decline. Poverty and unemployment grew for Hispanics than non-Latinos since the Great Recession started and most Hispanics have stated the economic downturn was harder on them than any other group. A Pew study from 2012 stated 54 percent of Latinos believing that the economic downturn has hit them hard.

The pregnancy rate figures, although not finalized, are preliminary data from the National Center for Health Statistics.