U.S. births had been declining by an average of 2% every year since 2014, along with a 4% plunge from 2019 to 2020, in the early days of the pandemic, per the report.

The big picture: More than 3.6 million babies were born in the U.S. in 2021, a 1% increase from 2020 levels.

The increased birth rate in 2021 spanned all age groups over 25, while falling for women aged 15-24 and remaining the same in the 10-14 age group.

The state of play: The percentage of premature births also hit its highest reported level since representative national data became available, according to the data.