UK Births drop for fourth straight year as costs and dread pile up
UK births have declined for the fourth consecutive year, reaching the lowest number since 1977. The average woman in England and Wales is now expected to have about 1.4 children in her lifetime, a significant drop from 1.9 fifteen years ago. Cultural shifts and economic concerns are contributing to this trend, with many potential parents feeling unable to afford children.
- ▪Fewer than 585,000 babies were born in the UK in 2025.
- ▪First-time mothers now average 29.6 years old, an increase of about two years over the past fifteen years.
- ▪40% of births now involve at least one parent born outside the UK, up from 30%.
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UK Births drop for fourth straight year as costs and dread pile up Ellsworth Toohey 2:01 pm Wed May 27, 2026 Altrendo Images/shutterstock.com Last year was the quietest year for maternity wards in England and Wales since 1977, according to the BBC's reporting on the latest Office for National Statistics data. Fewer than 585,000 babies arrived in 2025, the fourth annual decline in a row. The typical woman in those two countries is now projected to bear roughly 1.4 children over her lifetime, compared with roughly 1.9 fifteen years earlier. First-time mothers now average 29.6 years old — up by about two years over the same stretch. One reason there are even this many births: 40% now involve at least one parent born outside the UK, up from 30%.
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