Between 1991 and 2021 there has been a clear trend of mothers having children later in life in the United Kingdom, with the average age of mothers in the increasing from 27.7 in 1991 to 30.9 by 2021.

In 2022 the average age of mothers giving birth to their first child in England and Wales was 29.2 years of age, followed by 31.5 years for the second child, 32.6 for the third child, and 33.6 for the fourth child.

Annual analysis of fertility by cohort for women born in England and Wales. Cohort fertility analysis allows the fertility experience of a group of women sharing the same birth year (a “cohort”) to be traced through time and compared with other cohorts.

In England and Wales in 2022, the conception rate among women aged between 30 and 34 years was approximately 115.7 per 1,000 women, meaning this age group had the highest rate of conceptions that year. Slightly lower was the rate of conceptions among 25 to 29-year-olds at 113.7 conceptions per 1,000 women, while there were 80.4 conceptions per 1,000 women aged between 20 and 24 years of age. Trends in teenage conceptions The rate of teenage pregnancies has declined sharply in the last ten years. In 2008, the conception rate among teenagers was approximately 60 per 1,000; by 2021, this rate has dropped to 26.1 as displayed above. While the number of teenage pregnancies has dropped in England and Wales, the share of pregnant teenagers getting abortions has increased. The share of teenage conceptions ending in abortion increased from 40.1 percent in 2004 to 51.6 percent in 2021. Additionally, teenagers are the most likely age group in England and Wales to go through with an abortion after a pregnancy. Birth rate trends in the UK In 2021, the birth rate in the UK was 10.4 births per 1,000 population, which, except for 2020, was the lowest birth rate in the country since the start of the provided time period in 1938. The average age at which a mother gives birth in the UK has also increased alongside the drop in birth rate. In 2000, the average age of a mother giving birth in the UK was 28.5; by 2021, it was 30.9 years old. Furthermore, there were just 41 live births per woman aged 22 in 2022, compared with 71 live births for 22-year-olds in 2002 and 86 live births for women aged 22 in 1992.

Introduction to fertility estimates

Fertility refers to the number of live births within an individual or group, influenced by a combination of biological, social, cultural, and economic factors.

There are several ways to describe fertility rates, but two of the most commonly used are Age-Specific Fertility Rates (ASFR) and Total Fertility Rates (TFR).

Age-specific fertility rates (ASFR) measure the number of births per woman within specific age groups. For example, in England, the peak childbearing age is currently 32, with an ASFR of 0.107, meaning 107 babies were born for each 1,000 women aged 32.

Total fertility rate (TFR) is a commonly used measure of overall fertility calculated as the sum of all age-specific fertility rates across all reproductive age groups. It represents the average number of children that a woman would have if she were to experience current age-specific fertility rates over the course of her life. For 2023, we estimate the TFR in Inner London to have been 1.16 compared to 1.54 in Outer London, and 1.41 for England as whole.

About these estimates

The estimates published here were produced by the GLA for use in analysis and as inputs to population projections. These data include annual estimates for all local authority districts and regions in England and Wales from 1993 onward of:

• Total Fertility Rates
• Age-Specific Fertility Rates by single year of age (15 to 49)

The GLA is making these estimates and the code used to create them as a resource for analysts and researchers working to understand local birth trends. We welcome feedback and suggestions from the community for how these data could be improved or made more useful.

The code used to produce these estimates is available on GitHub. All the requirements and information necessary to recreate the estimates can be found in the README file. This repository also includes some examples of code for plotting age-specific and total fertility rates across local authorities and periods of interest.

The Office for National Statistics also publishes fertility rates for local authority districts and higher geographies. Age-specific fertility rates are published by five-year age groups and for 2013 onward. These data are available to download from Nomis.

Note: There will be differences between the rates published by the GLA and those available from ONS. These are because the GLA:

• models rates for individual ages 15 to 19 and 40 to 49 from aggregate data
• applies smoothing to age specific rates
• uses population denominators for 2002 to 2020 that differ from the official mid-year estimates used by ONS.

Data and methods

The data used to calculate fertility rate estimates are:

• ONS calendar year births by age of mother from 1993
• ONS mid-year population estimates from 1991 - 2000
• GLA estimates components of change modelled backseries from 2000

Raw age-specific fertility rates are calculated by dividing the number of births in a calendar year by the population of women the same age at the mid-point of that year.

Smoothed rates, covering individual ages from 15 to 49 are produced by fitting a series of parametric curves to the raw fertility rates.

Age-specific fertility rates are summed across all ages to obtain total fertility rates.

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In England in 2023/24, the older a mother was when giving birth made it more likely they would deliver via a Cesarean section. Around 54 percent of births involving a mother aged between 20 and 24 years were a spontaneous vertex delivery, compared to 36 percent in the 40 to 44 year age group.

In 2022, there were ******* live births to mothers aged between 30 and 34 years old in England and Wales, making it the most common age group for live births in that year. Between 1973 and 2000, the most common age for mother giving birth was ** to **, and between 1961 and 1972 it was ** to **, indicating a gradual trend of mothers giving birth later in life.

United Kingdom UK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.800 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.800 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.820 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.930 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 1.630 Ratio in 2002. United Kingdom UK: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s UK – Table UK.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

This is a publication on maternity activity in English NHS hospitals. This report examines data relating to delivery and birth episodes in 2023-24, and the booking appointments for these deliveries. This annual publication covers the financial year ending March 2024. Data is included from both the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data warehouse and the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS). HES contains records of all admissions, appointments and attendances for patients admitted to NHS hospitals in England. The HES data used in this publication are called 'delivery episodes'. The MSDS collects records of each stage of the maternity service care pathway in NHS-funded maternity services, and includes information not recorded in HES. The MSDS is a maturing, national-level dataset. In April 2019, the MSDS transitioned to a new version of the dataset. This version, MSDS v2.0, is an update that introduced a new structure and content - including clinical terminology, in order to meet current clinical practice and incorporate new requirements. It is designed to meet requirements that resulted from the National Maternity Review, which led to the publication of the Better Births report in February 2016. This is the fifth publication of data from MSDS v2.0 and data from 2019-20 onwards is not directly comparable to data from previous years. This publication shows the number of HES delivery episodes during the period, with a number of breakdowns including by method of onset of labour, delivery method and place of delivery. It also shows the number of MSDS deliveries recorded during the period, with a breakdown for the mother's smoking status at the booking appointment by age group. It also provides counts of live born term babies with breakdowns for the general condition of newborns (via Apgar scores), skin-to-skin contact and baby's first feed type - all immediately after birth. There is also data available in a separate file on breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks. For the first time information on 'Smoking at Time of Delivery' has been presented using annual data from the MSDS. This includes national data broken down by maternal age, ethnicity and deprivation. From 2025/2026, MSDS will become the official source of 'Smoking at Time of Delivery' information and will replace the historic 'Smoking at Time of Delivery' data which is to become retired. We are currently undergoing dual collection and reporting on a quarterly basis for 2024/25 to help users compare information from the two sources. We are working with data submitters to help reconcile any discrepancies at a local level before any close down activities begin. A link to the dual reporting in the SATOD publication series can be found in the links below. Information on how all measures are constructed can be found in the HES Metadata and MSDS Metadata files provided below. In this publication we have also included an interactive Power BI dashboard to enable users to explore key NHS Maternity Statistics measures. The purpose of this publication is to inform and support strategic and policy-led processes for the benefit of patient care. This report will also be of interest to researchers, journalists and members of the public interested in NHS hospital activity in England. Any feedback on this publication or dashboard can be provided to enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk, under the subject “NHS Maternity Statistics”.

Births and deaths by gestational age in England. Other stratification include birthweight, mother's age at birth and ethnicity.

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.

Data on 994 women recruited from across the UK in 2018. Dataset contains their answers to each item on the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy Scale as well as grouped variables for age, relationship status, ethnicity, education level, UK region and number of children in the household.

Quarterly statistics on conceptions to women aged under 18 years resident in England and Wales; numbers and rates are by regions and other local authority areas.

Understanding Society, (UK Household Longitudinal Study), which began in 2009, is conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex and the survey research organisations Verian Group (formerly Kantar Public) and NatCen. It builds on and incorporates, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which began in 1991.

Understanding Society (UK Household Longitudinal Study), which began in 2009, is conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER) at the University of Essex and the survey research organisations Kantar Public and NatCen. It builds on and incorporates, the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), which began in 1991.

The annual information across a wide range of topics gathered as part of Understanding Society before and after childbirth, coupled with data on the entire family, provides contextual insight into the development of children. Moreover, all children in the household are themselves participants of Understanding Society from birth, parents provide information on their child’s health and development until the age of 10, when data is gathered directly from all children.

The Pregnancy and Early Childhood (PEACH) dataset consists of a single crosswave file that brings together the key data reported by parents for all children aged under 10 years as reported in the w_child file, w_newborn file and information on pregnancy and parenting styles from w_indresp files across waves 1 to 14 of the main study. The information is provided at the child level using the child's identifier (crosswave person identifier - pidp) to ensure each row is uniquely identifiable. In addition, the pidp of the parent or responsible adult providing information at different waves is included to make it easy to link back to family circumstances. A total of 299 variables are included. Full details can be found in the user guide.

This dataset is designed to be linked to the main Understanding Society datasets SN 6614 (end user licence), SN 6931 (special licence) or SN 6676 (secure access), so that the child’s development can be related to their broader family circumstances. Information can be linked for the child using the crosswave personal identifier variables beginning with “pidp” as appropriate or for the parent providing the information.

Latest edition information

For the fourth edition (September 2025), the data file has been updated to include data from Wave 14 of the main study. Primary sample unit and Strata variables have been added to aid researchers. Six parenting scale derived variables have been removed to match changes in the main study.

Co-funders

In addition to the Economic and Social Research Council, co-funders for the study included the Department of Work and Pensions, the Department for Education, the Department for Transport, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Community and Local Government, the Department of Health, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Department of Environment and Rural Affairs, and the Food Standards Agency.

Indicators in the Child and maternal health profiles and Sexual and reproductive health profiles have been updated. The profiles give data at a local, regional and national level to inform the development and provision of family planning, antenatal and maternity care.

This release updates indicators relating to:

• conceptions, abortions and birth rates for women under 18 and conceptions for women under 16
• ethnicity and age of mothers
• premature births
• admissions of babies aged under 14 days
• deliveries by caesarean section
• ectopic pregnancy
• pelvic inflammatory disease

Indicators which were due to have been updated in November 2021 have also been updated for:

• general fertility rates
• neonatal and post-neonatal deaths
• stillbirths
• multiple births
• low birthweight and very low birthweight of all babies

These indicators were not updated in 2021 because the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has led to delays in birth and death registrations which has delayed the publication of statistics by the Office for National Statistics which are the source data for these indicators.

This study aimed to examine the impact of advanced maternal age, considered to be 35 years or age or older at the anticipated date of delivery, on maternal, obstetric, fetal and perinatal outcomes. 82 women who were pregnant for the first time were included in the study. The sample was divided into 2 groups: the study group of women aged 35 years or more; and the control group of women aged 20-34 years. The study group was further split into a very advanced age group of women older than 40 years, and an advanced age group of women between 35 and 40 years old. Data collection took place from June 2021 until June 2022.

This is a publication on maternity activity in English NHS hospitals. This report examines data relating to delivery and birth episodes in 2022-23, and the booking appointments for these deliveries. This annual publication covers the financial year ending March 2023. Data is included from both the Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES) data warehouse and the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS). HES contains records of all admissions, appointments and attendances for patients admitted to NHS hospitals in England. The HES data used in this publication are called 'delivery episodes'. The MSDS collects records of each stage of the maternity service care pathway in NHS-funded maternity services, and includes information not recorded in HES. The MSDS is a maturing, national-level dataset. In April 2019 the MSDS transitioned to a new version of the dataset. This version, MSDS v2.0, is an update that introduced a new structure and content - including clinical terminology, in order to meet current clinical practice and incorporate new requirements. It is designed to meet requirements that resulted from the National Maternity Review, which led to the publication of the Better Births report in February 2016. This is the fourth publication of data from MSDS v2.0 and data from 2019-20 onwards is not directly comparable to data from previous years. This publication shows the number of HES delivery episodes during the period, with a number of breakdowns including by method of onset of labour, delivery method and place of delivery. It also shows the number of MSDS deliveries recorded during the period, with breakdowns including the baby's first feed type, birthweight, place of birth, and breastfeeding activity; and the mothers' ethnicity and age at booking. There is also data available in a separate file on breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks. The count of Total Babies includes both live and still births, and previous changes to how Total Babies and Total Deliveries were calculated means that comparisons between 2019-20 MSDS data and later years should be made with care. Information on how all measures are constructed can be found in the HES Metadata and MSDS Metadata files provided below. In this publication we have also included an interactive Power BI dashboard to enable users to explore key NHS Maternity Statistics measures. The purpose of this publication is to inform and support strategic and policy-led processes for the benefit of patient care. This report will also be of interest to researchers, journalists and members of the public interested in NHS hospital activity in England. Any feedback on this publication or dashboard can be provided to enquiries@nhsdigital.nhs.uk, under the subject “NHS Maternity Statistics”.