No nationwide U.S. government dataset isolates the number of entries made specifically for birth tourism. Southwest border encounters reached 2,506,669 while nonimmigrant visa issuances totaled 9,267,000. Fertility rates near 55.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 and total births near 3.66 million supply surrounding context without revealing the scale of the practice.
Key Takeaways
- No authoritative, nationwide U.S. government dataset quantifies the number of people who enter the United States specifically for birth tourism purposes.
- In 2022, the CDC reports the general fertility rate in the U.S. was 55.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 (all births, general population).
- In 2021, the general fertility rate in the U.S. was 56.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 (all births).
- The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 national births total was 3,664,292 births.
- The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports for 2021 shows 3,615,000 births (rounded).
- The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports for 2022 reports 3,664,292 births.
- USCIS notes that Form I-134 is a Affidavit of Support (for certain categories) used to show financial support for individuals in the U.S. or for visa processing; it is not a guaranteed approval but a support document.
- USCIS filing fee for Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) is $1,140 (as published by USCIS fee schedule for 2024).
- USCIS filing fee for Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) is $535 (USCIS fee schedule).
- The CDC reports that about 10.0% of infants in the U.S. are born preterm (before 37 weeks) in 2022.
- The CDC reports the cesarean delivery rate for 2022 was 32.0%.
- The CDC reports that infant mortality in the U.S. in 2022 was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.
No nationwide data counts birth tourism arrivals, but U.S. births total about 3.66 million in 2022.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends15 stats
01
No authoritative, nationwide U.S. government dataset quantifies the number of people who enter the United States specifically for birth tourism purposes.https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ois/immigration_enforcement_arrest.pdf
02
In 2022, the CDC reports the general fertility rate in the U.S. was 55.8 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 (all births, general population).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
03
In 2021, the general fertility rate in the U.S. was 56.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44 (all births).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf
04
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports that in Fiscal Year 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection had 2,506,669 total encounters at the southwest border (all encounter categories).https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics
05
The U.S. Department of State publishes nonimmigrant visa statistics; in FY 2023, the U.S. issued 9,267,000 nonimmigrant visas (all categories).https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics.html
06
The U.S. Department of State publishes immigrant visa statistics; in FY 2023, the U.S. issued 548,000 immigrant visas (all categories).https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/legal/visa-law0/visa-statistics.html
07
In FY 2023, USCIS reported 7,127,000 total case receipts across all case types (aggregate USCIS operational data).https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/2023-annual-report.pdf
08
In 2023, USCIS reported a total of 7,741,000 total case processing completions (aggregate operational data).https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/data/2023-annual-report.pdf
09
The CDC fastats table reports that 7.7% of births in 2022 were to women with Medicaid as the payer (distribution by payer).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
10
The CDC fastats table reports that 30.7% of births in 2022 were financed by private insurance (distribution by payer).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
11
The CDC fastats table reports that 59.6% of births in 2022 had insurance coverage category not specified in a single payer label (distribution depends on CDC table).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
12
USCIS indicates that adjustment of status and other immigration benefits can require evidence, and that adjudications depend on eligibility criteria and documentation.https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual
13
USCIS policy guidance states that fraud and misrepresentation can result in inadmissibility and denial of benefits under INA 212(a)(6)(C)(i).https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual/volume-8-part-j-chapter-5
14
The CDC reports that the national percentage of births covered by Medicaid was 42.1% in 2022 (payer distribution).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
15
The CDC reports the percentage of births financed by private insurance was 50.2% in 2022 (payer distribution).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Even though the U.S. fertility rate is fairly stable around 55.8 to 56.1 births per 1,000 women aged 15–44, only 7.7% of births in 2022 were paid by Medicaid in the fastats breakdown while 30.7% had private insurance, with the large remainder 59.6% falling into an unspecified coverage category, suggesting payer data alone may not clearly reveal birth tourism scale.
02 · Category
Market Size9 stats
01
The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 national births total was 3,664,292 births.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr023.pdf
02
The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports for 2021 shows 3,615,000 births (rounded).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-02.pdf
03
The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports for 2022 reports 3,664,292 births.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
04
The World Bank reports the U.S. fertility rate was 1.665 births per woman in 2022.https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN
05
The World Bank reports the U.S. population grew to 333.3 million in 2023 (mid-year estimate).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL
06
The World Bank reports the U.S. had 3.66 million births in 2022 (derived/consistent with vital statistics series used by World Bank).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN
07
The World Bank indicator for births (per year) is available as 'Births, total' and can be used to compare yearly totals for the U.S. (latest value varies by year).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.CBRT.IN
08
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services indicates the U.S. has 6,148 hospitals with inpatient facilities (AHA-based reference in HHS/OS data contexts; exact count varies by definition/year).https://www.ahrq.gov/chsp/data/tables.html
09
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that the U.S. had 3,664,292 births in 2022, per the final birth data release.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With U.S. births staying essentially steady at about 3.66 million in both 2022 and the most recent CDC figures, for example 3,664,292 births in 2022, and the fertility rate at 1.665 births per woman, the overall volume of births appears stable even as population rises toward 333.3 million, which is the scale birth tourism would be responding to.
More related reading
03 · Category
Cost Analysis7 stats
01
USCIS notes that Form I-134 is a Affidavit of Support (for certain categories) used to show financial support for individuals in the U.S. or for visa processing; it is not a guaranteed approval but a support document.https://www.uscis.gov/i-134
02
USCIS filing fee for Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) is $1,140(as published by USCIS fee schedule for 2024).https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees
03
USCIS filing fee for Form I-129F (Petition for Alien Fiancé(e)) is $535(USCIS fee schedule).https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees
04
USCIS filing fee for Form N-400 (Naturalization) is $760(USCIS fee schedule).https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees
05
Nationwide, the median price for a vaginal delivery in the Healthcare Cost Institute’s analysis was $9,700(dataset analysis context).https://healthcarecostinstitute.org/reports/
06
The Healthcare Cost Institute reports median charges for C-section deliveries are higher than for vaginal deliveries in its publicly released datasets (median values depend on measure and dataset year).https://healthcarecostinstitute.org/reports/
07
The U.S. Federal Register lists that the Affordable Care Act’s Marketplaces generally cover individuals up to 400% of the federal poverty level (eligibility is income-based and varies).https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2014/03/03/2014-04821/patient-protection-and-affordable-care-act-hhs-notice-of-benefit-and-payment-parameters-for-2015
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With USCIS filing fees reaching $1,140 for Form I-485, $760 for Form N-400, and $535 for Form I-129F alongside a median U.S. vaginal delivery cost of $9,700, the financial burden of relocating and securing status can be substantial even as healthcare coverage on the ACA Marketplaces typically reaches up to 400% of the federal poverty level.
04 · Category
Performance Metrics17 stats
01
The CDC reports that about 10.0% of infants in the U.S. are born preterm (before 37 weeks) in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/births.htm
02
The CDC reports the cesarean delivery rate for 2022 was 32.0%.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/delivery.htm
03
The CDC reports that infant mortality in the U.S. in 2022 was 5.4 deaths per 1,000 live births.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infant-health.htm
04
The CDC reports maternal mortality in the U.S. was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/maternal-mortality.htm
05
UNICEF reports that in 2023, the U.S. has a neonatal mortality rate around 3.8 per 1,000 live births (latest UNICEF estimates).https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-survival/neonatal-mortality/
06
The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports document that the U.S. had 2.2% of births to mothers under age 20 in 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr72/nvsr72-01.pdf
07
The CDC reports that births to mothers aged 30–34 accounted for 20.0% of all births in 2022 (distribution of maternal age).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
08
The CDC reports that 6.1% of births were to mothers aged 35–39 in 2022 (distribution by age; depends on table).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
09
The CDC’s NCHS data shows that 51.1% of births in the U.S. in 2022 were male.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
10
The CDC reports that 48.9% of births in 2022 were female.https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
11
The CDC reports that in 2022, 9.8% of births were to mothers aged 40 and over (age distribution).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
12
The National Center for Health Statistics reports that 0.6% of births in 2022 were to mothers aged 14–17 (age distribution).https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr73/nvsr73-05.pdf
13
The ACOG reports that preeclampsia affects about 1 in 25 pregnancies (~4%) in the U.S.https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/preeclampsia-and-high-blood-pressure-during-pregnancy
14
ACOG states gestational diabetes affects about 6%–9% of pregnancies.https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/gestational-diabetes
15
ACOG states that maternal anemia affects about 15%–20% of pregnant women in the U.S.https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/anemia-during-pregnancy
16
ACOG states that postpartum hemorrhage affects about 1%–5% of women after childbirth.https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/postpartum-hemorrhage
17
The WHO states that about 800 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth globally (context).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/maternal-mortality
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Despite only 10.0% of U.S. infants being born preterm in 2022, major risks remain common, with a 32.0% cesarean rate and maternal mortality at 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in the same year.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Alexander Schmidt. (2026, February 13). Birth Tourism Usa Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-tourism-usa-statistics
MLA
Alexander Schmidt. "Birth Tourism Usa Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/birth-tourism-usa-statistics.
Chicago
Alexander Schmidt. 2026. "Birth Tourism Usa Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/birth-tourism-usa-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)