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.

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.

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.

United Kingdom UK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 13.547 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.596 Ratio for 2015. United Kingdom UK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 30.317 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 88.785 Ratio in 1962 and a record low of 13.547 Ratio in 2016. United Kingdom UK: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Kingdom – Table UK.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.; ; United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.; Weighted average;

Presents data on fertility by year of birth of mother rather than the year of birth of child. This package includes average number of live-born children and the proportion of women remaining childless by year of birth.

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Cohort fertility tables (previously FM1) with births by year of birth of mother

In 2021, the total fertility rate in England was 1.55, compared with 1.59 in the previous year, which was the lowest it has been in this provided time period.

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.

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.

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.

Comparison of total fertility rate (TFR) with 1971-based to 2022-based national population projections for the UK and constituent countries, including measures of error.

To measure fertility. The total period fertility rate (TPFR) calculated as the sum of the age-specific fertility rates between ages 15-44. Please note this indicator is currently under review. The next release date for this indicator is to be confirmed. Legacy unique identifier: P00428

'Report on fertility patterns for UK born and non-UK born mothers in the period 2007 - 2011. Includes investigation of fertility patterns at the country level, and also of countries of birth.'

Source agency: Office for National Statistics

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Childbearing of UK and non-UK born women living in the UK

Live births by local authority of usual residence of mother, General Fertility Rates and Total Fertility Rates.

The general fertility rate (GFR) is the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Rates are based on the most up-to-date population estimates.

The General Fertility Rate (GFR) is the number of live births per 1,000 women aged 15-44.

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of live children that a group of women would bear if they experienced the age-specific fertility rates of the calendar year in question throughout their childbearing lifespan.

The TFR has been calculated using the number of live births and the 2006 mid-year population estimates (sub-nationally) and the 2006-based 2007 projections (nationally) for women by single year of age. This generally produces a better match of births to those at risk of having births. However, local authority level population estimates are only considered reliable in five-year age bands. Thus, especially in small local authorities, it should be noted that rates computed using single year of age data may produce spurious results.

City of London has been grouped with Hackney after 2004.

Read more on the ONS website

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

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for the United Kingdom (SPADOTFRTGBR) from 1960 to 2023 about 15 to 19 years, fertility, United Kingdom, and rate.

There were 694,685 live births recorded in the United Kingdom in 2021, compared with 681,560 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 just 657,038 births. Birth rate at 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 67 million In 2022, the overall population of the United Kingdom was almost 67.6 million people. Of the four countries that comprise the UK, England has by far the highest population, at 57.1 million, compared with 5.45 million in Scotland, 3.13 million in Wales, and 1.91 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

In 2021 the general fertility rate in the United Kingdom was 53.6 births per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 44, the lowest fertility rates seen in this time period. The rate was at its highest in 1971, when it was 84.3.

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”.

In 2023, the crude birth rate in the United Kingdom remained nearly unchanged at around ***** live births per 1,000 inhabitants. Yet 2023 saw the lowest rate in the United Kingdom with ***** live births per 1,000 inhabitants. The crude birth rate refers to the number of live births in a given year, expressed per 1,000 population. When studied in combination with the crude death rate, the rate of natural population increase can be determined.Find more statistics on other topics about the United Kingdom with key insights such as total life expectancy at birth, infant mortality rate, and total fertility rate.

Annual live births, stillbirths, maternities, and fertility rates in England and Wales by factors including registration, place of birth, and deprivation.