In 1998, around 19 in 10,000 babies born in the US was a triplet (or more). By 2023, around seven in 10,000 were.
How many is 10,000? It's just over half the capacity of Madison Square Garden.
Both medical professionals and the general public have long been interested in pregnancies that result in two or more babies — also called multiple birth pregnancies. While twins are a familiar phenomenon, triplets, quadruplets, or more, are less common.
What does “multiple births” mean?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “multiple births” as when a pregnancy results in two or more fetuses being delivered.
Twin births are the most common type of multiple birth. In 2023, the rate of twin births was 306 per 10,000 babies born, or 3.06%.
How common are triplets and higher-order multiple births?
In 1998, the rate of triplets or higher-order multiple births was 193.5 out of 100,000 live births, or a rate of 0.19%. In 2023, this rate was 73.8 out of 100,000. That’s 0.07% of live births that year.
Overall, from 1998 to 2023, the rate of triplets and higher-order multiple births dropped 61.9%.
While triplets and other multiple births can occur naturally, they are more common with assisted reproductive technology. The Centers for Disease Control links the decline in multiple births to changes in the assisted reproductive procedure, such as transferring fewer embryos.
Trends in triplets and higher order births
Triplets are more common than births involving four or more babies. However, the rates of both have declined from 1998 to 2023. Triplet births dropped by 64% and the births of four or more babies dropped by 79%.
Trends in triplets and higher-order multiple births vary by race; while they declined for white, non-Hispanic mothers (-71%) and Hispanic mothers (-25%), triplets and higher-order multiple births increased for Black, non-Hispanic mothers (25%).
The decline in triplets and quadruplets (and more), was consistent across mothers’ ages. Instances of triplets and higher-order multiple births declined for women of all ages, but declined the most for women 30 and older.
Learn how many IVF babies are born in the US, and get the data directly in your inbox by signing up for our weekly newsletter.
Recent health articles
Read data analyses written by the USAFacts team.
Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Declines in Triplet and Higher-order Multiple Births in the United States, 1998–2023
