Live Births in UK Edge Up in 2024
(MENAFN) The number of live births in England and Wales edged up in 2024, marking the first annual increase since 2021, according to new data released Tuesday by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
A total of 594,677 babies were born last year—up 0.6% from 2023. Despite the slight rise, the number remains historically low, making 2024 the third-lowest birth year recorded since 1977. Still, the modest growth may signal a potential shift after several years of steady decline.
One of the most striking demographic changes highlighted by the ONS was a 14% increase in births fathered by men aged 60 and over, rising from 942 in 2023 to 1,076 in 2024.
Greg Ceely, head of population health monitoring at the ONS, 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.”
Women aged 35 to 39 accounted for the largest rise in births, with a 2.7% increase. In contrast, births to mothers under 20 dropped by 4.6%, continuing a long-term trend of later parenthood that has been building for more than 50 years.
Another key shift emerged in parental origins: 39.5% of live births in 2024 involved at least one parent born outside the UK—up from 37.3% in 2023 and 32.5% in 2014.
However, the ONS emphasized that birthplace alone doesn't fully reflect ethnicity or immigration background, cautioning that “not all women born outside the UK would have arrived in the country in the past few years.”
The figures come amid growing political concern over falling fertility rates. On Monday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson urged the public to consider having children earlier in life, warning of the “worrying repercussions” associated with a shrinking birthrate.
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