With as much new material as Maury Povich is able to find for his “Who’s My Baby’s Daddy” series – one of the most popular programs on daytime television – it might not be surprising to discover that births to unmarried women in the U.S. has been sharply rising in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that about 40 percent of all U.S. mothers are unwed. This number might seem high; however, a new U.S. report on births shows that the U.S. is still far behind northern European countries.

The award for leader in unwed mothers giving birth goes to Iceland, with six in 10 births among unmarried women. Following closely behind are Sweden and Norway. About half of their births are to unwed mothers.

According to the CDC, France, Denmark and the United Kingdom also have higher percentages than the United States.
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