Figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown a decline in the birth rate to record lows.
In England and Wales the fertility rate fell from 1.42 children per woman in 2023 to 1.41 in 2024, a record low. Official figures from Scotland saw a similar trend, with the fertility rate falling to 1.25, also a record low.
For the population to remain at present levels, a birth rate of 2.1 children per woman is the generally accepted figure necessary.
The figures also showed that, on average, women tend to have children later in life, with the average age at childbirth rising from 30.9 in 2023 to 31 in 2024. Twenty years ago the average woman giving birth was 29.
The average age of fathers has also increased over the years. In 2004 it was 32.1, in 2023 it reached 33.8 and last year it was 33.9.
Melinda Mills, professor of demography and population health at the University of Oxford, told the Financial Times that uncertainties around employment, gender inequality and the difficulties of balancing work and family were all contributing to women having children later, or even not at all. Unstable relationships are also increasingly a factor.
Some parts of the United Kingdom actually saw an increase in the fertility rate, with London and the West Midlands both seeing rises for the first time since 2021.
South Korea has the lowest birthrate in the world, with 0.75 children per woman being the official figure in 2024, a slight rise from its record low of 0.72 in 2023.
