Try GOLD - Free
Fall in birth rate of England and Wales is highest of G7
The Independent
|August 28, 2025
The fertility rate for England and Wales has plummeted to a record low after falling for three consecutive years, data from the Office for National Statistics reveals, with births barely outpacing deaths.
The total fertility rate - defined as the average number of children women would expect to have across their childbearing life – stood at 1.41 in 2024, down from 1.42 in 2023 and the lowest since records began in 1938.
Natural population growth has been in decline for years, with deaths expected to overtake births by 2030, but migration into England and Wales has offset an otherwise dwindling population, which means that it grew by around 706,000 in the year to mid-2024. Births last year actually increased slightly, from 591,072 to 594,677, but overall population growth meant fertility rates still fell.
Despite already dropping more than any other G7 nation since 2010, the ONS projects that fertility rates will continue to drop and stagnate at a low level of 1.41 in 2027. The UK's fertility rates are still higher than Japan, Canada and Italy.
This story is from the August 28, 2025 edition of The Independent.
Subscribe to Magzter GOLD to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MORE STORIES FROM The Independent
The Independent
Reeves: People feel stuck but Britain is not broken
Chancellor says boost for working parents will help growth
4 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
‘Staggering increase’ in GPs denying trans healthcare
Charities and medical professionals have warned of a “staggering increase” in GPs denying gender affirming care, even when it is requested by a specialist clinic.
3 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Did Norris’s title hopes go up in smoke in Belgium?
Lando Norris suffered a dramatic late engine failure at the Dutch Grand Prix as McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri took a major step towards the title.
2 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
The mad European auteur who conquered Hollywood
Against all odds, the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos has brought his berserk eye to mainstream British and American cinema. Xan Brooks looks back on his extraordinary career
4 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Must do better: new series of Educating Yorkshire is heartening but superficial
The Channel 4 docuseries returns with another look at the challenges facing schools, writes Louis Chilton. Plus, Liz Hurley keeps a high-camp reality show alive, and Sheridan Smith is utterly believable in a true crime story worth sharing
7 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Why Iranians openly hope for fresh strikes from Israel
Just two months after intense attacks, Camelia Entekhabifard warns about the possibility of a second Iran-Israel war
4 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Tory peer opens up on his weight-loss jab frustration
Ed Vaizey says Mounjaro ‘certainly not a miracle drug’
2 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Seagulls leave vulnerable City with one in the eye
Brajan Gruda rolled home a dramatic late winner as Brighton roared back to stun Manchester City with a thrilling 2-1 victory at the Amex Stadium.
2 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
Will my anti-Trump stance cause trouble at US airport?
Q We would like to travel to Arizona next month, but lots of social media posts say it’s not advised if you are anti-Trump on Facebook and X (Twitter), which we are.
1 mins
September 01, 2025
The Independent
‘Israel gives the journalist in Gaza one choice: if you work, you will be targeted’
With a dozen reporters now at direct risk of being killed by Israeli ‘war crimes’, Bel Trew and Nedal Hamdouna hear from those whose work places them firmly in the firing line
5 mins
September 01, 2025
Listen
Translate
Change font size