In 2021 the live birth rate of the United Kingdom fell to 10.4 births per 1,000 population, the lowest it had been during this time period. The UK's birth rate has been declining steadily since 2010 when the birth rate was 12.9 births per 1,000 population. After 1938, the year with the highest birth rate in the UK was 1947, when the crude birth rate was 21.2 births per 1,000 population. Under two children per mother in 2021 The most recent crude live birth rate for this statistic is based on the 694,685 births, that occurred in 2021 as well as the mid-year population estimate of 67 million for the United Kingdom. It has a close relation to the fertility rate which estimates the average number of children women are expected to have in their lifetime, which was 1.53 in this reporting year. Among the constituent countries of the UK, Northern Ireland had the highest birth rate at 11.6, followed by England at 10.5, Wales at 9.3, and Scotland at 8.7. International comparisons The UK is not alone in seeing its birth and fertility rates decline dramatically in recent decades. Across the globe, fertility rates have fallen noticeably since the 1960s, with the fertility rate for Asia, Europe, and the Americas being below two in 2021. As of this year, the global fertility rate was 2.31, and was by far the highest in Africa, which had a fertility rate of 4.12, although this too has fallen from a high of 6.72 in the late 1960s. A reduction in infant mortality, as well as better access to contraception, are factors that have typically influenced declining fertility rates recently.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country would have throughout their reproductive years. In the United Kingdom in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have five children over the course of their lifetime. Over the next 35 years the fertility rate was quite sporadic, rising to over 5.5 in the 1810s and 1820s, then dropping to 4.9 by 1835. This was during and after the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 with the US, which was a time of increased industrialization, economic depression and high unemployment after the war. As things became more stable, and the 'Pax Britannica' (a period of relative, international peace and economic prosperity for the British Empire) came into full effect, the fertility rate plateaued until 1880, before dropping gradually until the First World War. The fertility rate then jumped from 2.6 to 3.1 children per woman between 1915 and 1920, as many men returned from the war. It then resumed it's previous trajectory in the interwar years, before increasing yet again after the war (albeit, for a much longer time than after WWI), in what is known as the 'Baby Boom'. Like the US, the Baby Boom lasted until around 1980, where it then fell to 1.7 children per woman, and it has remained around this number (between 1.66 and 1.87) since then.

Historical dataset showing U.K. birth rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

The United Kingdom: The number of crude births per 1000 people, per year: The latest value from 2023 is 10.02 births per 1000 people, a decline from 10.1 births per 1000 people in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 17.86 births per 1000 people, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1960 to 2023 is 13.38 births per 1000 people. The minimum value, 10.02 births per 1000 people, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 18.8 births per 1000 people was recorded in 1964.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in United Kingdom was reported at 1.56 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in United Kingdom was reported at 10.02 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Birth rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

There were almost 695,000 live births recorded in the United Kingdom in 2021, compared with almost 682,000 in the previous year. Between 1887 and 2021, the year with the highest number of live births was 1920, when there were approximately 1.13 million births, while the year with the fewest births was 1977, when there were approximately 657,000 births. Birth rate falls to a historic low in 2020 At 10.2 births per 1,000 people, the birth rate of the United Kingdom in 2020 was at a historic low. After witnessing a twenty-first century high of 12.9 in 2010, the birth rate gradually declined before a sharp decrease was recorded between 2012 and 2013. Although there was a slight uptick in the birth rate in 2021, when there were 10.4 births per 1,000 people, the total fertility rate reached a low of 1.53 births per woman in the same year. As well as falling birth and fertility rates, the average age of mothers has been increasing. In 1991, the average age of mothers at childbirth was 27.7 years, compared with 30.9 years in 2021. UK population reaches 68 million In 2023, the overall population of the United Kingdom reached almost 68.3 million people. Of the four countries that comprise the UK, England has by far the highest population, at 57.7 million, compared with almost 5.5 million in Scotland, 3.2 million in Wales, and 1.9 million in Northern Ireland. These countries are far less densely populated than England, especially when compared to London, which had approximately 5,630 people per square kilometer, compared with just 70 in Scotland. After London, North West England was the second-most densely populated area of the UK, which includes the large metropolitan areas of the cities of Manchester, and Liverpool

Annual UK and constituent country figures for births, deaths, marriages, divorces, civil partnerships and civil partnership dissolutions.

In 2021, the total fertility rate, in the United Kingdom fell to 1.53 births per woman, compared with 1.56 in 2020. The fertility rate in the most recent year is the lowest in this provided time period, and far below the peak of 2.65 births per woman recorded in 1964.

In the United Kingdom, the crude birth rate in 1800 was 37 live births per thousand people, meaning that 3.7 percent of the population had been born in that year. From 1800 until 1830, the crude birth rate jumped between 35 and 45, before plateauing between 35 and 37 until the 1880s. From 1880 until the Second World War, the crude birth rate dropped to just under fifteen births per one thousand people, with the only increase coming directly after World War One. After WWII, the United Kingdom experienced a baby boom, as many soldiers returned home and the economy recovered, however this boom stopped in the late 1960s and the crude birth rate went into decline again. From the late 1970s until today, the crude birth rate has remained between eleven and fourteen, and is expected to be 11.5 in 2020.

In 2023, the crude birth rate in live births per 1,000 inhabitants in the United Kingdom was *****. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by ****, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

This scatter chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) against female population (people) in the United Kingdom. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

Historical dataset showing U.K. fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

This dataset is about countries per year in the United Kingdom. It has 64 rows. It features 4 columns: country, birth rate, and fertility rate.

The United Kingdom: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.56 births per woman, unchanged from 1.56 births per woman in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 2.41 births per woman, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for the United Kingdom from 1960 to 2023 is 1.95 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.56 births per woman, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 2.93 births per woman was recorded in 1964.

This bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by countries yearly using the aggregation average, weighted by population in the United Kingdom. The data is about countries per year.

Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in United Kingdom was reported at 8.359 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

This scatter chart displays rural population (people) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in the United Kingdom. The data is about countries per year.

Live births and stillbirths annual summary statistics, by sex, age of mother, whether within marriage or civil partnership, percentage of non-UK-born mothers, birth rates and births by month and mothers' area of usual residence.

Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) in United Kingdom was reported at 4.9 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Mortality rate, under-5, male (per 1,000 live births) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.