(WTVO) — A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that teenage birth rates hit a record low in 2022.

The provisional birth rate for teens aged 15-19 was 13.5 births per 1,000 females, the report said. This was down 3% from 2021 and reached another record low for the age group.

The rate declined at a rate of 8% annually from 2077-2021, dropping by 67%. Sine 1991, the most recent peak, it has dropped by 78%.

The total number of births from this age group in 2022 was 143,442, which was down 2% from the year before.

Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, dean of the Duke University School of Nursing, told ABS News that this is an exciting sign.

“I’m excited the U.S. has made significant progress in reducing pregnancies among youth,” Guilamo-Ramos said. “The all-time low should be an indication that we’re continuing to move in the right direction.”

Experts said that the drop is due to a number of reasons. These include contraceptives becoming easier to acquire, more teens abstaining from sex and more pregnancy prevention programs that are aimed at the age group.

There has also been an increase in popularity for long-acting reversible contraception for teens, according to Dr. Monic Well Rosen, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Michigan Medicine.

“In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics came out and said that it should be used as first line for birth control,” she said. “And sort of the marketing around that has caused a lot of teens in this age group to get the IUD and therefore not become pregnant.”

While experts said that the signs are encouraging, there is still work to be done.

“The number is not zero and teens get pregnant all the time, who may not want to be pregnant but may not be aware of contraceptive options or options for emergency contraception and so [people should] still consider education necessary and at the forefront and the birth rate can still improve even though it’s at an all-time low right now,” Rosen said.