Britain's fertility rate falling faster

October 12, 2024
Bangladeshis and British Bangladeshis are top of them among any other ethnic minority community.

The average number of children women have in the UK is falling faster than any other G7 country since 2010, Sky News-commissioned analysis has found.

Bangladeshis and British Bangladeshis are top of them among any other ethnic minority community.

Bangladeshi women gave brith to 7,007 newborns in 2022. India is in the top position in the list while Pakistan in second and Afghanistan in seventh position. According to the latest figures from Office for National Statistics (ONS), a total of 183,309 babies were born to non-UK-born mothers in Britain.

The average number of children women have in the UK is falling faster than any other G7 country since 2010, analysis has found. Bangladeshis and British Bangladeshis are top of them among any other ethnic minority community.This figure denotes the largest percentage decline among the G7 in a span of 12 years, from 2010 to the most recent data published in 2022. Italy witnessed the second-largest decline, followed by the US, Canada, France, and Japan, while Germany saw an increase, according to CPP data. The fertility rate's shift from 2010 to the present is referred to as the proportion fall. The CPP's interim CEO, Ben Franklin, stated that they think "austerity and the austerity drive" nationwide was "the principal factor" in lowering fertility rates during that time.The reason he gave for saying it was happening "to a faster extent" in the UK was that "austerity was quite significant here, and more so than in other countries."The CPP study also discovered that rates fell more quickly in places with greater deprivation, "demonstrating the impact of government cuts to social security spending that occurred over that time." According to Mr. Franklin, "more educated, higher income women" were the reason behind fertility rate declines in earlier decades.Low fertility rates can lead to a "top heavy" economy, with more pensioners than working-age people, and subsequently put a strain on the nation's finances.


2022 saw a drop in the number of births in England and Wales to the lowest level in 20 years.


Emily-Kate Day has one child, her daughter Violet, with her husband - and despite both parents working full time, they still can't afford a second child."It's heart-wrenching really," she says, "because we always wanted a big family and we made the decision last year perhaps not to try for another one because of financial reasons.


"I'd love to have a sibling for Violet, she is desperate for a sibling as well, but financially at the moment with nursery fees it's impossible."


If there are fewer future workers some argue it will mean a greater reliance on immigration to support the workforce.

In London, however, and other areas of the country, fertility rates and birth rates - the number of live births per 1,000 people annually - are contributing to schools closing.London councils say lower birth rates are the main reason for a reduction in demand for school places.

Prof David Miles CBE, from the Office for Budget Responsibility Committee, says he thinks concerns about "not enough children" are "somewhat overplayed".

"There are natural economic forces that will offset the effect of what might otherwise be a declining working population," he said.Professor Miles added that one such force could be "drawing more people into the labour force" as companies look to older people working part-time.

"Those are economic forces which naturally play out when there is a shift in demand for labour relative to the supply of labour," he said.