The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen to a new record low

The total fertility rate in England and Wales fell to a new record low last year, while the number of live births fell to an all-time low in almost five decades. While fertility rates in the two countries have been in overall decline since 2010, the rate fell to 1.44 children per woman in 2023, which the Office for National Statistics said was the lowest since records began in 1938. The rate decreased from an average of 1.49 children per woman during her lifetime in 2022, and decreased most among women aged 20 to 24 – a drop of 79% from 181.6 live births per 1,000 women of this age group in 1964 to 38, 6 in 2023.

The average age of mothers remained stable at 30.9 years, while the average age of fathers increased slightly from 33.7 years in 2022 to 33.8 years last year. The largest declines in total fertility rates were recorded in Wales (1.46 to 1.39) and North West England (1.53 to 1.46). London (1.39 to 1.35), the North East (1.47 to 1.43) and the West Midlands (1.62 to 1.58) saw the smallest decline. Fertility rate is defined as the average number of living children that a group of women would have had if they had experienced age-specific fertility rates during their generative lives. In 2023, the number of live births (591,072) in England and Wales fell to the lowest level since 1977, when there were 569,259. The figures, which also include stillbirth rates, say they fell in Wales from a rate of 4.4 per 1,000 births in 2022 to 4.0, and remained the same in England at 3.9 stillbirths per 1,000 births.