White births now the minority in US

For the first time non-Hispanic white births in US have become a minority as Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births made up 50.4% of new arrivals in the year ending in July 2011.

Sociologists believe the ongoing economic slowdown has contributed to a greater decline in birth rates among white people.

The US Census Bureau recorded 2.02m babies born to minorities in the year to July 2011, just over half of all births, compared with 37% in 1990.

The nation's minority population now makes up 36.6% of the total US population.

Hispanics make up the largest minority in the US, forming 16.7% of the population in 2011. They are also the fastest growing group and have seen a 3.1% population increase since 2010.

But demographers also believe the Hispanic population boom may now have peaked.

"The Latino population is very young, which means they will continue to have a lot of births relative to the general population," Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau said.

"But we're seeing a slowdown that is likely the result of multiple factors: declining Latina birth rates combined with lower immigration levels. If both of these trends continue, they will lead to big changes down the road."