For the first time since records began in 1845, more babies were born out of wedlock than to married couples in England and Wales in 2021, according to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) census.
The ONS reports that of the total of 624 828 registered births, 320 713 (51.3%) were born to women who were not married or were in a civil partnership.
Dr James Tucker, head of health analysis at the ONS, said that this ‘follows the long-term trend of declining marriage rates and increasing numbers of cohabitating couples seen in recent decades’.
Tucker indicated however, that caution should be taken in interpreting the numbers, ‘as we don’t yet know the full impact of the pandemic on marriage and civil partnership statistics’.
Other figures from the census published on Tuesday show that the fertility rate rose from 1.58 children per woman in 2020 to 1.61 in 2021. This is the first rise in fertility, year on year, since 2012.
It is noteworthy, however, that overall fertility rates dropped among younger groups of women and rose in older groups. The largest decrease was among women and girls aged 20 and younger, among whom fertility rates dropped by 16%, while the rate rose by 5% for women between 35 and 39.
Of the total number of births registered in 2021, 28.8% were to non-UK-born women; this is a decrease from 29.3% in 2020.
The fertility rate for UK-born women rose to 1.54 children per woman, while the rate for non-UK-born women remained at 2.03.
Pakistan remained the most common country of birth for non-UK-born fathers, while Romania (up from second in 2020) was the most common country of birth for non-UK-born mothers.
[Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/bed-baby-newborn-child-blanket-1839564/]