UK Fertility Rate Sinks to Lowest Since Records Began in 1938
- Millennials are not having children due to financial pressures
- UK reliant on immigration to boost population, economic growth
The ONS said there were 591,072 live births in England and Wales, the lowest since 1977 and a decrease of 14,407 on 2022.
Photographer: Hollie Adams/BloombergThe fertility rate in England Wales fell to a record low in 2023, as financial pressures and wider societal shifts put young people off starting a family.
Women had an average of 1.44 children, the lowest figure since records began in 1938 and down sharply since 2010 when the rate was 1.94, data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Monday. In London the rate was even lower at 1.35.