What is the UK fertility rate?

The total fertility rate in England and Wales was 1.39 children per woman in 2025, down from 1.41 in 2024, according to the ONS Births in England and Wales: 2025 release published on 8 September 2026. England's rate was 1.39 and Wales's 1.33. Scotland's rate fell to 1.23 in 2025, the lowest since its series began in 1951 (National Records of Scotland).

The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced this year's birth rates at each age throughout her life. NRS notes that a population needs a rate of about 2.1 to replace itself without migration.

The "birth rate" is sometimes used for births per 1,000 people, a different measure. Rates also vary widely by area: in 2025 they ranged from 0.37 in the City of London to 1.93 in Luton and Pendle.

Official sources: ONS: Births in England and Wales (latest) · NRS: vital events in Scotland, 2025

The latest figure

The newest value is at Office for National Statistics (ONS). More on it: Live births in England and Wales.

When is the next figure out?

Annual. The ONS now publishes a first count in May (Births in England and Wales) and final rates in late summer or autumn (Birth summary tables). The 2025 final rates were published on 8 September 2026; the bulletin gives the next release as May 2027. Quarterly provisional counts are also published. The .xlsx file name includes the year, so the link changes each year

Every official release due in the next two weeks is on the release calendar.

Terms used in this answer

• Crude rate
  A rate calculated by dividing events by the whole population, with no adjustment for differences in age structure between places or over time.
• Calendar year
  January to December. Used for GDP annual totals, registered deaths and many international comparisons, unlike the April to March financial year.
• England and Wales
  A single legal jurisdiction, so crime, courts, prisons and death registration statistics are often published for England and Wales together.
• Administrative data
  Information collected by organisations while running a service, such as tax records, benefit claims or hospital activity, and then used to produce statistics.
• Provisional figures
  Early estimates published before all data are in, so users get timely figures. They are expected to be updated when later data arrive.

Where the figures come from

• UK population and vital statistics (ONS, National Records of Scotland and NISRA)
  Where to find official UK figures on births, fertility, baby names, marriage, divorce, households, population estimates, projections and the census.

Related questions

• How many babies are born in the UK each year?
• What is the average age of mothers in the UK?
• Is the UK population ageing?

This answer says where the official figures are published and how they are defined. It gives no verdict on any claim. To report an error, send a correction request. More questions about population, births and families: all Population, births and families questions.