Covid-19 Pandemic Led to Smaller-Than-Expected Baby Bust, New Data Suggest

February 10, 2022

(Wall Street Journal) – The new births data, released Monday along with final data for 2020, show the pandemic has had a more muted impact on childbearing than expected. The economists Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine in December released calculations showing the pandemic led to 60,000 missing births from October 2020 through February 2021. Earlier in the pandemic, they predicted the health crisis and economic uncertainty would lead to 300,000 to a half million fewer births last year. (Read More)