Deaths exceed births among those born in UK for first time

THE number of people born in the UK who died last year was higher than the number of births to Uk-born mothers for the first time, new figures show.

In 2018, there were 471,476 live births to Uk-born mothers and 487,618 deaths of Uk-born persons registered in England and Wales.

A comparison of trends in births and deaths in England and Wales shows a natural increase (more births than deaths) in every year since records began in 1838, with the exception of 1976 and 1977, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

However, the difference between the total number of births and deaths has been decreasing in the last decade. In 2012 there were 230,343 more births than deaths, but that gap has narrowed to just 115,487 in 2018.

When comparing births to Uk-born mothers only, against the deaths of people born in the UK, figures show the first natural decrease (more deaths than births) since comparable data were first available in 2008.

Overall, there were 657,076 live births in England and Wales in 2018, and there were 541,589 deaths. This is the lowest birth rate since records began in 1938.

The slowing figures have coincided with a lower fertility rate for women.

ONS figures show that the total fertility rate for Uk-born women fell from 1.71 children per woman in 2017 to 1.63 in 2018 – the lowest level since 2004, when figures were first calculated.

Ann Berrington, a professor in demography and social statistics at the University of Southampton, said the reasons behind the low birth-rate were multifaceted, but that people staying in education and fewer teenagers having children were likely factors.

Speaking to The Guardian, she said: “There’s also been significant improvements in the availability of emergency and long-acting contraception.”

The figures also show that the proportion of live births in England and Wales to women born outside the UK has fallen for the first time in nearly three decades. Some 28.2 per cent of births in 2018 were to women not born in the UK, down from 28.4 per cent in 2017.

It is the first year-on-year decrease since 1990.

For the third year in a row, Brent in London was the local authority in England with the highest percentage of live births to non-uk-born mothers at 75.4 per cent. Copeland in Cumbria had the lowest, at 3 per cent.