Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the total fertility rate the average number of children a woman has in - her lifetime – was 1.44 children per woman in 2023, the lowest since 1938.
The number of live births also fell to 591,072 – the lowest total since 1977. In England and Wales, the fertility rate has been less than two children per woman since the 1970s. Women would need to have an average of 2.08 children to guarantee what the ONS terms “the long-term ‘natural’ replacement of the population”.
This story is from the October 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the October 29, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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