20% fewer babies born in

Cost of living crisis and house prices mean more delay or decide to not have children

- Daniel Keane

THE number of babies being born in London has fallen by a fifth in a decade, the Standard can reveal, as experts warn that the cost of living and house prices mean that people are delaying - or deciding against - having children.

Analysis of figures published by the Office for National Statistics shows that 106,696 babies were born in the capital in 2022, a fall of 20.4 per cent on the figure reported 10 years before and the lowest since 2008.

The "total fertility" rate, which is based on the birth rate across different age groups, also fell by 30 per cent during the same 10-year period in London to 1.39 babies per woman. To maintain a stable population without significant immigration, a country should have a fertility rate of above 2.1.