Birth rate in England and Wales falls to lowest since records began in 1938

THE birth rate in England and Wales has fallen to the lowest on record.

Official figures show there were 657,076 live births in 2018, down 3.2 per cent in a year, and equal to 11.1 per 1,000 people.

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Official figures show the lowest birth rate since records began[/caption]

It is the lowest rate since records began in 1938 and 45.9 per cent below its peak in 1947.

The Office for National Statistics said the fall has been driven by declining fertility rates, with women having fewer children.

Pregnancy groups blame political and economic uncertainty and the high cost of raising kids and buying a home.

It is exaggerated by an ageing population, with a larger proportion unable to have children.

Fertility rates decreased in all age groups except for women aged 40 and over, where it remained the same.

The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman will have throughout her childbearing years — fell to 1.7 children per woman in 2018.

That is lower than all previous years except 1977 and 1999 to 2002.

Almost half of babies, 48.4 per cent, were born outside of marriage, the data reveals.

The proportion of live births to non-UK born mums fell for the first time since 1990 to 28.2 per cent.

And the stillbirth rate reached a record low for the second year running, with 4.1 per 1,000 births.

Katherine O’Brien, of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said: “Concerns about the cost of raising a child, struggles around buying a family home, and a lack of affordable childcare are all reasons why women delay starting their families.”

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