A report from the Centers for Disease Control says that in 2012 just over 40% of babies were born to unwed mothers.

The news was included in a report that showed the United States’ birth rate fell to a record low in 2012.  The number of births per 1,000 women aged 15-44 was 63.0, down from 63.2 in 2011, the previous record low.

The number of babies born to unwed mothers was 40.7 percent, down from 2009 when it peaked at 41.0 percent.

The percentage of American children born to unmarried mothers has more than doubled since the 1980s.  In 1980, the same report showed that only 18.4 percent of babies were born to unmarried mothers.