Baby boom last year in England and Wales

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 22 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT


The largest jump in the birth rate for a quarter of a century was recorded in England and Wales last year, according to figures yesterday from the Office for National Statistics.

The number of babies born in 2003 increased by more than 4 per cent to 621,469, bucking the long-term trend of declining fertility that has become established since the mid-1960s.

Extrapolating from these figures, government statisticians said the average woman could be expected to give birth to 1.73 babies during her child-bearing years. This national fertility rate was 4.7 per cent higher than a year ago - the largest annual rise since 1979.

Demographers at the ONS said it was too soon to know whether last year's increase was a statistical blip or the start of a new trend.

The number of live births increased in 2002 for the first time in eight years, but by only 0.25 per cent. And the average age of women at the birth of their first child was 27.4 in 2003, compared with 25.7 in 1991.

This article comes from Norwich Union Health

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