Number of children under 5 in United States
United States: Number of children under 5 was 18.64 million people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
18.64 million people
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
8th
of 236 countries
All-time high
20.95 million people
in 1962
All-time low
16.11 million people
in 1977
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in United States, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in United States is 18.64 million people, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in United States peaked at 20.95 million people in 1962 and was at its lowest, 16.11 million people, in 1977.
That places United States 8th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Number of children under 5 in United States, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 17.18 million people | — |
| 1951 | 17.67 million people | +2.8% |
| 1952 | 17.83 million people | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 18.04 million people | +1.2% |
| 1954 | 18.40 million people | +2.0% |
| 1955 | 18.82 million people | +2.3% |
| 1956 | 19.26 million people | +2.4% |
| 1957 | 19.71 million people | +2.3% |
| 1958 | 20.14 million people | +2.1% |
| 1959 | 20.46 million people | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 20.69 million people | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 20.88 million people | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 20.95 million people | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 20.85 million people | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 20.65 million people | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 20.31 million people | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 19.78 million people | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 19.18 million people | -3.0% |
| 1968 | 18.62 million people | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 18.19 million people | -2.3% |
| 1970 | 18.02 million people | -0.9% |
| 1971 | 17.97 million people | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 17.79 million people | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 17.48 million people | -1.7% |
| 1974 | 17.12 million people | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 16.66 million people | -2.7% |
| 1976 | 16.22 million people | -2.6% |
| 1977 | 16.11 million people | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 16.28 million people | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 16.59 million people | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 16.99 million people | +2.4% |
| 1981 | 17.43 million people | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 17.81 million people | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 18.10 million people | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 18.30 million people | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 18.42 million people | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 18.53 million people | +0.6% |
| 1987 | 18.63 million people | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 18.80 million people | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 19.08 million people | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 19.37 million people | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 19.66 million people | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 19.95 million people | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 20.08 million people | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 20.03 million people | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 19.81 million people | -1.1% |
| 1996 | 19.52 million people | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 19.26 million people | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 19.09 million people | -0.9% |
| 1999 | 19.01 million people | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 19.05 million people | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 19.20 million people | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 19.37 million people | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 19.55 million people | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 19.72 million people | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 19.85 million people | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 20.03 million people | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 20.30 million people | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 20.56 million people | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 20.70 million people | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 20.71 million people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 20.59 million people | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 20.38 million people | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 20.16 million people | -1.1% |
| 2014 | 20.01 million people | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 19.98 million people | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 20.00 million people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 19.98 million people | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 19.89 million people | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 19.73 million people | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 19.40 million people | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 19.01 million people | -2.0% |
| 2022 | 18.79 million people | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 18.64 million people | -0.8% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 18.64 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 145.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 18.75 million people | 17.18 million people | 20.46 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 20.01 million people | 18.19 million people | 20.95 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 17.02 million people | 16.11 million people | 18.02 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.21 million people | 16.99 million people | 19.08 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.58 million people | 19.01 million people | 20.08 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.83 million people | 19.05 million people | 20.70 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.14 million people | 19.73 million people | 20.71 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.96 million people | 18.64 million people | 19.40 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in United States?
- Number of children under 5 in United States was 18.64 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 20.95 million people in 1962.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.11 million people in 1977.
- How does United States rank for number of children under 5?
- United States ranks 8th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.