UK births hit 50-year low as more women actively choose to remain childfree

Births in England and Wales fell for the fourth consecutive year in 2025 to their lowest level in nearly half a century, according to the Office for National Statistics. Research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) estimates that around three million UK women aged 16–45 are likely to remain childfree, with the CSJ citing 'a range of social and economic pressures' including rising housing costs, delayed financial independence, later marriage, and career uncertainty. If women in this age group were having children at the same rate as their grandparents, 600,000 more would be doing so today.