Baby boom drives UK population growth

CPC Director, Jane Falkingham, contributed to an article in the Financial Times on the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) annual midyear population estimates.

The article focussed on the number of births in 2012 hitting the highest level in 40 years, with the country seeing 813,200 births in the year to June 2012, the largest number since 1972.

Professor Falkingham commented that foreign-born women have a higher birth rate; British-born women have, on average, 1.9 children but foreign-born women have 2.2 children.

"Birth rates are increasing among women in their late 20s and also their late 30s, so women who previously chose to postpone childbirth are not now doing so, while those who did postpone it are having children thanks to fertility treatment."

This shift in women's choice of birth timing means the baby boom is unlikely to be sustained, she said. "The baby boom of the 1960s saw larger family sizes but we're not seeing that now, so the boom will probably tail off."

Professor Falkingham was also quoted extensively on this subject on the BBC News Channel, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 2, BBC Wales and many other regional BBC radio stations.

You can access the full article on FT.com.

The full ONS statistics release is available from the ONS wesbite.

Posted 12/08/2013 10:49