New Year’s Babies: Over 10,000 children will be born in the United States on New Year’s Day - UNICEF USA

NEW YORK, NY (January 1, 2021) – An estimated 10,312 babies will be born in the United States on New Year’s Day, according to UNICEF.

As the calendar turns to 2021, UNICEF is again celebrating the new lives being brought into the world on January 1. Fiji in the Pacific will welcome 2021’s first baby. The United States, its last. Globally, over half of these births are estimated to take place in 10 countries: India (59,995), China (35,615), Nigeria (21,439), Pakistan (14,161), Indonesia (12,336), Ethiopia (12,006), the United States (10,312), Egypt (9,455), Bangladesh (9,236), and Democratic Republic of the Congo (8,640)

American babies will account for nearly 3% of the estimated 371,504 babies to be born on New Year’s Day. Their average life expectancy is expected to be 98.5 years.

 “2020 has been a difficult year for so many – including the world’s children, so there is perhaps no better way to turn the page than to welcome new young lives into the world,” said UNICEF USA President & CEO, Michael J. Nyenhuis. “With the opportunities of 2021 before us, now is the time to begin to build a better world for the next generation. It is a chance to recommit to supporting and empowering every child.”

2021 marks the 75^th anniversary of UNICEF. Over the course of the year, UNICEF and its partners will be commemorating the anniversary with events and announcements celebrating three-quarters of a century of protecting children from conflict, disease and exclusion and championing their right to survival, health and education.

Today, as the world faces unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, economic slowdown, rising poverty and inequality, we are reminded that the need for UNICEF’s work is as great as ever.

“As UNICEF celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, there is no more appropriate time to renew our commitment to each other, and to the children who will inherit the world we create with them,” said Nyenhuis. “UNICEF’s three-quarters of a century of delivering results for children around the world is a testament to what we can accomplish together.”

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Notes to Editors
For complete estimates on births for 236 countries and territories, click here.

For the estimates, UNICEF used vital registration and nationally representative household survey data to estimate the monthly and daily fractions of births in countries. UNICEF used the annual live births numbers and period life expectancy from the latest revision of the UN’s World Population Prospects (2019) to estimate the babies born on 1 January 2021 and their cohort life expectancy.

To download photos to accompany this story, visit here.

About UNICEF USA
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to pursue a more equitable world for every child. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, safe water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. 

UNICEF USA advances the global mission of UNICEF by rallying the American public to support the world’s most vulnerable children. Together, we are working toward a world that upholds the rights of all children and helps every child thrive. For more information visit www.unicefusa.org. 

For more information, contact
Nina Marie Costa, UNICEF USA, 212.922.2581, nmcosta@unicefusa.org