Why are birthrates falling in England and Wales?

Why are birthrates falling in England and Wales?

From Mark and Pete by Mark and Pete

June 7, 2026 · 14 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the significant decline in birth rates in England and Wales and explores various factors contributing to this trend.

Births in England and Wales have fallen again, for the fourth record-low year in a row, and the numbers are not exactly whispering. They are standing in the kitchen at midnight, holding a mug of tea, saying, “We may have a problem here.” In this episode of Mark and Pete, we look at the dramatic fall in the birth rate, the latest ONS figures, and what they reveal about family, fertility, money, housing, culture, marriage, and the strange modern habit of treating children as both priceless blessings and impossible luxury goods. England and Wales recorded 585,396 live births in 2025, down from 594,677 in 2024. The total fertility rate fell to around 1.39 children per woman, far below the usual replacement level of about 2.1. Back in 1970, there were 784,486 live births and the fertility rate was around 2.40. In plain English, we are having far fewer babies than we used to, and not by a polite little margin either. We also discuss the wider fertility picture, including studies suggesting sperm counts may have fallen sharply since the 1970s. That does not prove the birth-rate collapse is biological, and no, we are not about to blame the entire thing on plastic bottles and sad…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mark, Pete

Topics covered

  • birth rates
  • fertility
  • family
  • economic anxiety
  • cultural factors

Keywords

  • birth rate
  • fertility rate
  • ONS figures
  • family
  • economic factors
  • cultural exhaustion
  • housing
  • childcare costs

Mentioned in this episode

Places: England, Wales

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