Latest news with #birthrate
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Can Nigel Farage really boost Britain's birth rate?
As Sir Keir Starmer continued to drag his feet over one of the most contentious policy issues among Labour MPs and voters, Nigel Farage spotted an opportunity. Proclaiming during a speech last week that Britain had 'lost our sense of focus of just how important family is', the Reform UK leader unveiled plans to lure frustrated Labour voters while also attempting to arrest a decline in the UK's birth rate. Farage pledged that an elected Reform would scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a transferable tax allowance for married couples, in a bid to encourage people to have children. 'This is part of a bigger package and policy that we are putting together to try and make the family a more important element in British life,' said Farage. It marks the party's move into pro-natalist policies. Reform's proposed transferable tax allowance for married couples takes inspiration from central Europe. During his time in office Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, has placed significant focus on the importance of birth rates and traditional families. Earlier this week, Farage said he was 'not moralising' on the significance of marriage and added that having been divorced twice his 'track record was not so good on this'. Reform's policy would exempt one partner in a marriage from paying tax on the first £25,000 of their salary. Ben Ramanauskas, a senior fellow in economics at the Policy Exchange, says the proposal would bring the UK 'into a territory where most European countries are'. He adds: 'They have a much more generous system when it comes to taxing households and families.' However, Ramanauskas cast doubt on the idea that the measure could encourage couples to have children: 'The proposal itself won't have much of an impact on what Farage is aiming for in terms of hoping to increase the birth rate.' Reform's plans also miss out a key group of would-be parents. More than half of children in the UK are born to couples out of wedlock. So with the transferable tax allowance only reserved for married couples, the baby boosting effect of the policy is unclear. The party has also said it would scrap the two child benefit cap, a pledge which is estimated to cost £3.4bn, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Tomáš Sobotka, deputy director at the Vienna Institute of Demography, says abolishing the cap would help to lift children out of poverty but its impact on Britain's birth rate is likely to be 'marginal'. 'Most parents today don't desire more than two kids so it's a select group of women and families who are having a third or a fourth child,' he says. 'Providing a bit more in services … will not change fertility planning among many couples.' In Hungary, Orbán's attempts to fix the country's birth crisis mean it spends around 5pc of its GDP on measures aimed at encouraging couples to have children. The most significant of these measures is the country's large tax breaks. Currently mothers under 30 pay no income tax and mothers with three or more children are exempt from paying income tax for life. Orbán has also pledged to extend the measure to mothers of two children by January 2026. The government also offers loans to newly-weds that can be partially or fully written off if the couple has two or three children – as well as subsidies for family car purchases and housing. Despite Orbán's significant spending and hopes of a baby boom, Hungary's birth rate stood at 1.52 children per woman in 2022, in the UK it was 1.53 children per woman in 2021. For context, a country needs a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to ensure it has a stable population, without immigration. 'In the last few years Hungary has experienced fertility declines to the same extent as other countries and it now has exactly the same fertility rate as the European average ... from that perspective Hungarian policies are not bringing in tremendous success,' says Sobotka. But Orbán's focus on large families is helping to deliver an uptick in the number of households with three or more children, Sobotka adds. In the Nordics, the picture isn't any clearer. Finland pioneered the introduction of family friendly policies including parental leave and childcare from the 1980s onwards. The country reported a rise in its birth rates in the 1990s despite going through a financial crisis. 'Introducing these kinds of policies if they are long term … longer parental leave and especially affordable childcare have been shown in a wealth of studies both in the Nordic countries and from other countries to be associated with somewhat higher fertility,' says Anna Rotkirch, of the Family Federation of Finland's Population Research Institute. 'No silver bullet policy' However, she warns these measures 'are not enough for today's situation,' and that 'there's no silver bullet policy.' Indeed, the initial boost to Finland's birth rate in the late 20th century has waned and since 2010 the country has seen its birth rate decline by a third. Yet, Rotkirch says that while government spending and Reform's proposed policies might not have much of a demographic impact they were an important element in reducing child poverty. 'The cost of parenting is real and it is also economic,' she adds. 'Why do we have a society where you get poorer if you have a child?' Over in South Korea the picture is even more challenging. In May 2024, the then-president Yoon Suk Yeol asked for the parliament's cooperation to establish the Ministry of Low Birth Rate Counter-planning. 'We will mobilise all of the nation's capabilities to overcome the low birth rate, which can be considered a national emergency,' he said. The country has gone through a raft of measures including baby bonuses, subsidised fertility treatments and housing assistance but the country's fertility rate stood at 0.78 children per woman in 2024. Melinda Mills, a professor of demography at Oxford University say: 'They've also shown that throwing a lot of money at it doesn't work so you have to get to the root of people's lives. What are their work hours? Where do they live and work? Where's childcare?' One nation that has a slight edge in the birth rate compared to its European neighbours is France. Mills added that France's more comprehensive package of subsidised childcare, parental leave and school support goes some way in encouraging couples to have children. Indeed the measures seem to be having a small effect on the country's fertility rate, which was 1.8 children per woman in 2021 compared to the EU average of 1.53 during the same year. 'It's harder work than throwing a baby bonus and trying to think you could do a silver bullet but actually creating an ecosystem that has childcare, that has good maternity and paternity leave, has a good work-life balance – that's where France has done very well,' says Mills. However, it's clear that there is no one pro-natalist policy which will act as a catalyst to boost birth rates. While Farage's proposed Hungarian-style tax breaks look unlikely to persuade couples to have children, Mills explained that measures which addressed quality of life were likely to be more impactful. 'People need a good life, they need good jobs, be able to get a house, childcare,' says Mills. 'It's about wellbeing, it's about work-life balance. That's not as sexy … but these are the things that have been shown to be more effective.'
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Farage to promise tax breaks for married couples
Nigel Farage will promise tax breaks for married couples in a major speech today as he looks to position Reform UK as the true opposition to Labour. The Reform leader will attack Sir Keir Starmer and seek to outflank the Prime Minister on welfare with pledges to scrap the two-child benefit cap and fully reinstate winter fuel payments for every pensioner. Mr Farage will also announce his party's intention to introduce a new transferable marriage tax allowance in an attempt to encourage people to have more children. The allowance, first reported by The Mail, would see one spouse made exempt from paying tax on the first £25,000 they earn. Reform has already promised to lift the starting threshold for paying income tax to £20,000. Mr Farage will reportedly warn the collapsing birth rate in the UK represents 'an existential crisis for our country' and his party will 'do everything in its power to encourage British people who are able and want kids to have them'.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
Pets will never replace babies even though they're easier option for millennials… or this country will go to the dogs
WE all know someone who is a 'pet parent', don't we. Those who cherish and adore their dog 'fur babies', who puts their needs before their own and constantly spoils them. 7 7 It's a bond that should be cherished. After all they are man — and woman's — best friends. But our obsession for dogs is, incredibly, threatening the future of our country. A new academic report has shown that many people are actually avoiding having babies because they see dogs as 'their children' instead. Which is absolutely barking. This report, published in the journal European Psychologist, helps explain why our birth rate is declining. It says pets are fulfilling 'a nurturing drive similar to parenting, but with fewer demands than raising biological offspring'. Pet parents are even choosing dogs with 'infant-like features' such as large eyes, small noses and rounder faces. In other words, they look like babies. It's our millennials — those aged 29 to 36, who are in their peak baby-making years — who think a dog's life is the perfect, and only, way for them. How sad that they have already ditched any plans for real-life babies while their biological clocks are still firmly ticking. But I get it. I was very nearly one of them. Heartwarming moment pet owner cries with joy as he reunites with lost dog at burned LA home after thinking he was dead There were points, when me and the Geordie struggled to become human parents, that I truly thought our Boxer dog Layla was actually enough for me. We chose our wedding venue so she could be there, Layla has her own Instagram account and she often eats better food than we do. I have spent more than a year's salary just keeping her alive with operations on her legs and eye, scans for her kidney disease, hideously expensive medication for her allergies and when she had cancer last year we even paid for her to have chemotherapy. I couldn't love her any more than I do. But I will always be grateful that we became human parents too. Because I now know with complete certainty that being a mum to a dog just can't be compared. Different love, different interactions, different aspirations, different everything. It is on a different plane. I feel lucky that I have them both. Not everyone can have a child. And some never want one. There's no reason they should. But if you were contemplating parenthood it can these days seem like being one to a pet is the easier option. Less complicated While kids are stuffed into expensive nurseries, dogs are allowed to trot into the office and never leave your side. You see dogs in prams, in baby carriers. They are allowed in B&Q, Waterstones and John Lewis. We barely have to leave them at home. In Italy this week they ruled that large dogs can even sit next to their pet parents on planes. They are cheaper, easier, less complicated. But if the number of fur babies increases we must make sure that they, just like our kids, have boundaries. Because not everybody loves dogs — some are scared, others are allergic to them. I've seen an owner let their dog sprawl in the aisle of a train as passengers were forced to step over him, another who let their pooch stand on a table in a pub. If I allowed my six-year-old to do that there would — rightly — be outrage. I hope that those who are thinking of making one their entire family — instead of part of it — don't regret that decision in the long run. And I hope that as they raise them they try to realise that regardless of their love for their fur baby, it can never truly replace a human. Because if they do not, this country really will go to the dogs. Let 'em Loose again AS the chaos surrounding daytime TV emerged this week, I decided – for the purpose of research – to watch some recent episodes of Loose Women. It was the first time I'd seen it in about two decades, not because I am averse to daytime TV, but because when it is on I am usually at work. I discovered not a lot has changed – the same format, the same arrival into the studio as though they're bursting on to Stars In Their Eyes and outfits that make them look like fruit Skittles. But the major difference is that they are no longer 'loose women'. The show now appears scripted, staged and stale – full of woke opinions with a dose of fake shrieking. Which is a shame. Sadly, it is no surprise bosses want to cut down the episodes. But what they should have done is revamped it before shoving a gaping hole in the lives of all those who see it as part of their essential daily routine. Or, you know, actually allowed the presenters to do their jobs properly to pull in viewers and be what they're supposed to be – loose women. Every litter helps THE idea of Tesco setting up a wedding list sounds like a sensible one – after all, 'every little helps' doesn't it? So many couples live together be-fore they tie the knot, so they usually have their fill of tea towels and mugs before the big day arrives. But there's just something unromantic about a wedding gift package that includes bin bags, antibacterial hand wash and loo rolls, isn't there? And imagine only being able to remember what great aunt Margaret bought you as a gift because you're sitting on the loo. Ben serves beefcake – your turn next, Jamie BEN SHEPHARD is the latest middle-aged man to prove that they're not over the hill at 50. He looks amazing. Fans loved him stripping off for Men's Health. Ben is the newest star to hit the milestone and pack in the protein and the intense gym routines to transform their bodies and get a rippling six- pack. He follows in the shirt-stripping antics of 50-year-olds David Beckham, Jamie Lomas and Idris Elba. Now you've got to wonder who's next. Jamie Oliver hits that milestone on Tuesday. And if anybody was going to do it, you'd imagine it would be The Naked Chef. No pressure, Jamie. Becks rift is so sad 7 THE fallout between Brooklyn Beckham and his parents is sad. Not because they are in the spotlight or because they are rich and famous, but because any family fallout is unpleasant. And now this rift appears to have rippled up to Brooklyn's grandparents, because last Sunday he failed to wish his grandad Tony Adams, Victoria's father, a happy birthday. Which is so sad considering they were once so close. It's not because Brooklyn has lost the ability to use social media. The week before, he posted to mark the anniversary of the death of his wife Nicola's grandmother saying how he misses her 'every day'. It may be wise for Brooklyn to remember how heartbroken he is about her when thinking of his own family. As the saying goes, you should never go to sleep on an argument. Because none of us ever know what the future holds. A real shock MOLLY-MAE HAGUE might be a reality star, but she appears to have actually lost her grip on reality. After a flight from Dubai and a seven- hour hair appointment, she got leg pain and thought she had a blood clot, so went to A&E. It was 'packed', a 'sad environment' with such a long queue she headed home. She was forced to return, still in pain the next day. And she came back to Planet Earth.
Malay Mail
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Turkiye's Erdogan declares population crisis, blames LGBT ‘fascism and oppression' for falling birthrate
ISTANBUL, May 24 — In a bid to tackle Turkey's falling birthrate, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on yesterday announced the 'decade of the family', and again lashed out at the LGBT community as 'deviant'. 'The period between 2026 and 2035 has been identified as the decade of family and population,' said Erdogan in opening the International Family Forum in Istanbul. 'Our country is facing a great danger: Turkey's birthrate for the first time in our history dropped to 1.48' children per woman, he said, citing figures from the Turkish statistical institute (TUIK). 'This is a disaster, this figure is way below the critical threshold of 2.1,' he said. 'What we are facing right now is not only a statistic, but a warning pushing us to act. That's why in recent years, we have taken important steps to encourage... all families to have at least three children.' Back in 2001, Turkish women had an average of 2.38 children, TUIK statistics show. It is not the first time Erdogan — a pious Muslim and father of four — has raised the alarm over Turkey's declining population, warning last month it was 'a threat much more significant than war'. In January, he declared 2025 would be the 'year of the family'. He also used his speech to lash out at the LGBT community, which had been a repeated target of his 2023 election campaign. 'This deviant movement, called LGBT... has turned into a (form of) fascism and oppression which rejects any other different ideology,' he said, saying opposing the LGBT agenda was 'fighting for human dignity and honour'. He also warned against moves to blur the distinction between traditional genders. 'Although some opposition parties and some women organisations advocate this deviant movement, degendering projects threaten our national security,' he said, vowing his government would 'fight against them with great commitment'. — AFP
Irish Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
Celtic Tiger baby boom has turned to bust as fertility rates decline
Ireland's fertility rate continues to tumble and is now well below the replacement rate for the population, latest figures show. The fertility rate in 2024 was 1.5 children per mother. The replacement rate for the population - the rate at which people who die are being replaced by people being born - is 2.1 according to the Central Statistics Office . The last time that the fertility rate was at replacement level was in 2009. Since then it has been in steep decline. The number of children being born is in equally sharp decline. Births in Ireland peaked at 75,554 in 2009 from a smaller population base. In 2008 the birth rate peaked in this century at 17.0 births per 1,000; it has now dropped to 10 per 1,000. READ MORE Last year 54,062 births were registered (these would include some children born in 2023 who were registered in 2024), a decrease of 1 per cent on the 54,678 births registered in 2023. [ Hip surgery audit: Almost 70% of operations in two children's hospitals 'unnecessary' Opens in new window ] The fact that there are on average 20,000 fewer children being born in the State will have long-term implications for schools and universities. Mothers continue to get older. The average age of a mother at maternity was 33.3 in 2024. Twenty years ago it stood at 30.8. The average age of the first-time mother in 2024 is 31.7; it 2004 it was 28.5. The number of marriages in the State is also in sharp decline from 5.1 per 1,000 in 2004 to 3.8 in 2024. The number of deaths registered in 2024 was 35,173, which was 286 fewer than the 2023 figure of 35,459. [ An ode to the group chat, a lifeline for new mums Opens in new window ] Persons aged 65 and over, accounted for more than four-fifths (83.2 per cent or 29,276) of all deaths. For those aged under 55, the three most common causes of death were malignant neoplasms (890), external causes of injury and poisoning (701), and diseases of the circulatory system (441). These three groupings accounted for 69.4 per cent of deaths for this age group. Ireland's relatively healthy demographic means that births continue to exceed deaths in the State but the gap is narrowing. The natural increase (births less deaths) in 2024 was 18,889. Ireland is one of only seven EU countries out of 27 where the birth rate continues to exceed the death rate. Since 2012 Europe's population growth has been negative as deaths have been greater than births since then. Figures released from the EU statistics agency, Eurostat, shows the Irish population grew by 81,000 or 1.5 per cent in 2023, the last year for which figures are available. The population reached 5.32 million at the start of 2024. Since the 2004 accession treaty, which admitted 10 states from eastern Europe, the population of the Irish state, then at just four million, has increased by a third.
