Birth rates in England, Wales at lowest level in 80 years

The birth rate in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level since records began 80 years ago, with 11 babies born per 1,000 women last year — 46 per cent below the peak reached in 1947 during the postwar baby boom.

The most recent figures published by the Office of National Statistics show there were 657,076 live births in 2018, a 3.2 per cent decrease from the previous year and a 10 per cent decrease since the most recent peak in 2012.

The steady drop is being driven by falling fertility rates, an aging population and conception challenges resulting from women trying to become pregnant at an older age, the statistical office said. Women are more likely to spend a longer time in education and in their careers before starting a family.

Birth rates have fallen in almost every age group, holding steady only in the category of women over the age of 40. The average age of first-time mothers increased from 26.7 years in 1978 to 30.6 in 2018.

“These are interesting data which show a further decline in the U.K. birth rate, which is largely in keeping with what has been seen in most high-income, post-industrial countries since the 1970s,” said Allan Pacey, a University of Sheffield andrology professor.

The total fertility rate — the number of children per woman — fell 3.4 per cent from 1.76 to 1.70, the fourth-lowest rate on record.

The trend toward delaying childbirth can be expected to increase the demand for fertility treatments, like in vitro fertilization, or IVF, as has happened in other low birth rate countries, said Ying Cheong, a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Southampton.

Experts worry that if birth rates continue to decline at this pace while life expectancy increases, there will be a shortage of young people to support the economy and the aging population.