With the end of WWII, more babies had been born in 1946 than ever before: 3.4 million, 20% more than in 1945. This had been the beginning of the baby boom. In 1947, 3.8 million babies had been born, and in 1952 3.9 million had been born. From the years 1954-1964, more than 4 million babies had been born every year.