Birthrate in UK falls to record low as campaigners say ‘procreation is a luxury’

Total fertility was 1.49 children per woman in 2022, with 605,479 births, amid rising housing and childcare costs

Campaigners have warned that “procreation has become a luxury item”, after it emerged the fertility rate in England and Wales had fallen to its lowest level since records began in 1939.

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed “total fertility”, calculated based on the birthrate across different age groups, fell to 1.49 children per woman in 2022.