Living standards Bye bye baby Assessing Britain’s falling birth rate since the early 2010s 1 April 2026 Charlie McCurdy This briefing explores Britain’s recent baby bust and whether it should be a cause for concern for policymakers. Most developed countries are grappling with a falling birth rate, and the UK is no different. There have always been a range of reasons that people postpone having children or choose not to have them at all – some reflecting preferences (such as prioritising education, careers or simply not wanting children), and some driven by constraints (from fertility difficulties to economic pressures). After a baby boom in the 2000s, the UK’s total fertility rate has fallen sharply since 2012 – reaching a joint-record low of 1.6 children per woman in 2023, with the latest 2024 figures suggesting it could fall further still. The headline trend may not warrant alarm but its wider economic and social implications merit attention – not least because the recent decline appears to be driven, in part, by financial constraints facing young non-graduates, rather than a shift in what people actually want.
