Warning as fertility rates hit record low

Fertility rates in Leeds are below average for England and Wales - and those national figures are at a record low.

- by Harriet Sutton

The total fertility rate across both nations, defined as the average number of live children women would expect to have across their childbearing life, stood at 1.41 in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In Leeds, it was 1.28 (1.31 in 2023).

The figures across both nations are the lowest since comparable data began in 1938.

For a country's population to remain stable over time – discounting any impact from migration - the total fertility rate needs to be around 2.1.