ENGLAND AND WALES — The Office for National Statistics reported in 2025 that births in England and Wales fell for the fourth consecutive year, reaching their lowest level since 1977. There were 585,000 live births recorded, a decline of 10,000 from 2024.

The estimated number of children born per woman dropped to just under 1.4 in 2025, down from 1.9 in 2010. Women also had their first child later in life, with the average age rising to 29.6 years—about two years older than in 2010. Births involving at least one parent born outside the UK accounted for 40% of all births in 2025, an increase from 30% in 2010.

Stacey Waring, a nurse, described her decision not to have children as influenced by multiple factors. "It's just not a very nice world to bring people into, and why would I consciously do that when I can choose not to?" she said. "If I'd had children, I'd have had to reduce my hours at work."

Georgina Tuffour, a trainee nurse and mother of three children aged 10, eight, and six, cited financial pressures. "My daughter wants to register for everything at school, my son loves to play the drums and that costs £50 a month," she said. "I've had to say to them that I cannot afford to sign all of them up and that breaks my heart, so imagine having another?"

Paula Sheppard, an anthropologist at the University of Oxford, attributed the decline to broader societal changes. "They're waiting for a better job, better salary, better house, better neighbourhood, and it takes longer to get those things in the current climate," she said. "Even in the Nordics, with [their] family-friendly social policies, they don't see an increase in birth rates."