A Government report released today indicates that the proportion of births to unmarried women rose slightly in 2001, from 33.2 percent in 2000 to 33.4 percent in 2001. However, the rate of births by teenagers was down.

"This is an important milestone in our fight against teen pregnancy," HHS Secretary Thompson said. "The research shows us that when teens postpone parenthood, they improve their lives and the lives of their children. While we've seen remarkable progress, we must continue our efforts in local communities to reach teens with the message that everyone benefits when they wait until they are truly ready to start a family."

Prepared by HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2001," shows the teen birthrate dropped 5 percent last year, from 48.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2000 to 45.9 in 2001. Since 1991, the teen birthrate has declined 26 percent.

Other findings of the report include:

-A total of 4,040,121 births were reported in the United States in 2001, a slight drop from the 2000 total of 4,058,814.

-The birthrate for women ages 20-24 declined 2 percent in 2001, reversing a slight increase in the rate over the past five years. Birthrates were up among women ages 25 and older.

-The rate of births per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15-44 declined slightly between 2000 and 2001. However, the proportion of births to unmarried women rose slightly in 2001, from 33.2 percent in 2000 to 33.4 percent in 2001.