Latest news with #livebirths
Medscape
4 hours ago
- General
- Medscape
Birth Rate Rises as Trend to Older Parenting Continues
The number of live births in England and Wales rose last year, the first increase since 2021, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). There were 594,677 live births registered in 2024, up 0.6% from 591,072 in 2023. England saw a 0.74% increase, while Wales recorded a fall of nearly 2%. Despite the uptick, the rise was smaller than the 1.8% increase recorded between 2020 and 2021. The 2024 figure remained historically low, marking the third-lowest total since 1977. Older Parents The ONS reported a 'notable' rise in births to older fathers, particularly those aged 60 and over. This group saw a 14.2% increase in live births, from 942 in 2023 to 1076 in 2024. The trend toward older parenthood continued. Live births rose among parents over 30 and declined among those under 30. The data reflected reflected how people continue to 'put off having children until later in life', said Greg Ceely, head of population health monitoring at the ONS. The largest increase in births by maternal age was seen among mothers aged 35 to 39, rising by 2.7%. The sharpest decline occurred in mothers under 20, falling by 4.6%. Paternal age followed a similar pattern. Births to fathers under 30 fell, while most age groups over 30 saw increases. An exception was among fathers aged 45 to 49, where a dip of 0.6% was recorded. Regional Differences in Birth Rates Birth increases were driven primarily by London and the West Midlands. London recorded a 1.8% rise, while the West Midlands saw a 3.4% jump. Five English regions saw a decline, including the South East, East, South West, and East Midlands. The North East saw the largest drop, at 1.4%. Non-UK-Born Parents Make Up Growing Share In England, 40.4% of live births last year involved at least one parent born outside the UK, up from 38.2% in 2023. In Wales, the figure rose from 17.5% to 19.4%. London continued to have the highest proportion of births involving at least one non-UK-born parent. The North East had the lowest. In Wales, Cardiff had the highest percentage (40.6%) of such births. Caerphilly had the lowest, at 8.9%. A total of 33.9% of live births in England and Wales were to non-UK-born mothers, up from 31.8% in 2023. The share rose significantly among older mothers, reaching 55.5% for those aged 45 and over. Among mothers under 20, 15.7% were born outside the UK. India remained the most common country of birth for both non-UK-born mothers and fathers for the third consecutive year. Pakistan ranked second. Iraq entered the top 10 for mothers and remained tenth for fathers, having first appeared in 2023. Other Key Trends The stillbirth rate in England decreased slightly in 2024, from 3.9 to 3.8 per 1000 live births. In Wales, the rate rose from 4.0 to 4.4, returning to 2022 levels. 'A couple of other long-term trends are continuing, such as seeing around half of live births within marriage or civil partnership,' said Ceely. This proportion has remained stable since 2010. Boxing Day remained the least common day for births, a feature that has persisted for 12 years. The most common date was 23 February. Tuesday was the most frequent day for births (15.5%), while Saturday and Sunday were the least common (both 11.9%).
The Guardian
a day ago
- General
- The Guardian
Births in England and Wales increase for first time since 2021
An increase in babies born to fathers over 60 helped trigger the first increase in the number of births in England and Wales since 2021. Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed there were 594,677 live births in 2024, up 0.6% from 2023. The birthrate remains historically low, with 2024 the third lowest total since 1977. But the small rise means the downwards trend seen in recent years may have come to a halt. The largest increases in births were found in the West Midlands, up 3.4%, and London, up 1.8%, with five regions seeing a year-on-year fall, including a drop of 1.4% in the north-east. The ONS said there was a 'notable increase' in live births to fathers aged 60 and over, which jumped by 14%, from 942 births in 2023 to 1,076 in 2024. Births to young mothers and fathers fell, continuing a long-term trend of the average age of parents rising steadily over the past 50 years. The largest increase in live births was for women aged 35 to 39 years, which grew by 2.7%, while the largest decrease was seen in those aged under 20, declining by 4.6%. Greg Ceely, the ONS's head of population health monitoring, said: 'The number of births to mothers under 30 fell, as people continue to put off having children until later in life. 'The largest decrease is seen among those under 20 years old, which fell by almost 5%, while the number of mothers aged 35 to 39 grew the most.' On Monday, the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, called on Britons to consider having more children and having them sooner, describing the 'worrying repercussions' posed by a decline in fertility rates. 'A generation of young people have been thinking twice about starting a family, worried not only about rising mortgage and rent repayments, wary not only of the price of fuel and food, but also put off by a childcare system simultaneously lacking in places and ruinously expensive,' she wrote in the Daily Telegraph. The data also showed that 39.5% of live births in England and Wales last year had either one or both parents born outside the UK, up from 37.3% in 2023 and 32.5% a decade earlier in 2014. The ONS stressed the data did not give a full picture of a family's ethnicity or migration history, or reflect any recent trends in immigration, as not all women born outside the UK would have arrived in the country in the past few years.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
A THIRD of babies had a non-UK born mother last year - as women wait longer to have children and number with dads aged over 60 spikes 14%
A third of babies had a mother who was born outside the UK last year - as figures underlined the pace of change in society. Official data reveal that non-UK-born women accounted for 33.9 per cent of live births in England and Wales in 2024 - up from 31.8 per cent the previous year and the highest on record. In 2009 the level was below a quarter. Two-fifths of babies last year had at least one parent who was born in another country. However, the proportion varied widely between 68 per cent in London, 44.4 per cent in Greater Manchester, 41.2 per cent in the West Midlands and just 22.6 per cent in the North East. The ONS said there were 594,677 live births in England and Wales in 2024, which represented the first overall increase since 2021. The rise was driven by the West Midlands, where births were up 3.38 per cent and London where they were up 1.8 per cent. In contrast, numbers were stalled in the South East and down in the North East, South West, East Midlands, and Wales - which saw a 2 per cent dip. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) breakdown also underlined the tendency for women to wait longer before having children. The number of mothers aged under 20 dropped 4.6 percentage points year-on-year, and was down 2.35 percentage points for 20-24 year-olds. Meanwhile, there were increases in all the maternal age categories over 30. Although the maternity rate decreased overall, it increased for those aged over 45. There was an astonishing 14.2 per cent annual increase in births to fathers aged over 60. Official figures have been showing that population change is being almost completely driven by immigration, which has been hitting record levels while deaths and births are largely in balance. Migrant mothers have tended to have higher birth rates, which have been falling among the wider population. The ONS found India was the most common country of birth for non-UK-born mothers and fathers for the third year in a row. India-born mothers accounted for 4.4 per cent of all live births, followed by Pakistan (3.6 per cent) and Nigeria (2.5 per cent). Iraq has entered the top 10 for the first time, with 0.6 per cent.
