Washington, Oct 14 (IANS): A sharp drop in birth rates in the US in the past few years reflects economic recession in the country that started in 2008, said a Pew Research Center report.

According to the report released Oct 12, births have been declining since 2007, when a record high number of births - 4,316,233 - was registered, reported RIA Novosti.

"Provisional data show that in 2010 births numbered just over 4 million," the report says, citing an analysis of multiple economic and demographic data sources.

The analysis has also found evidence of a correlation between souring economy and fertility declines by race and ethnicity.

"Hispanics, whose employment levels and household wealth were particularly hard hit by the Great Recession, have experienced the largest fertility declines of the nation's three major racial and ethnic groups," the report says.

According to the report from 2008 to 2009, birth rates dropped by 5.9 percent among Hispanic women, by 2.4 percent among black women and by 1.6 percent among white women.

Meanwhile, the US population keeps growing due to a steady influx of immigrants from all over the world who seek better life in America, the report notes.

The Pew Research Center is a non-partisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. It was established in 2004 as a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a Philadelphia-based public charity.