Spotlight
Births in England and Wales: 2022
What's in the bulletin?
- There were 605,479 live births in England and Wales in 2022, a 3.1% decrease from 624,828 in 2021 and the lowest number since 2002; the number remains in line with the recent trend of decreasing live births observed before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
- In 2022, there were 2,433 stillbirths, a decrease of 164 (6.3%) from 2,597 in 2021.
- The stillbirth rate in 2022 decreased to 4.0 stillbirths per 1,000 total births from 4.1 in 2021; this is higher than the rate observed before the coronavirus pandemic in 2019 (3.9).
Births by parents’ country of birth, England and Wales: 2022
What's in the bulletin?
- In England and Wales, 30.3% of all live births were to non-UK-born mothers in 2022; an increase from 28.8% in 2021, continuing the long-term trend of the percentage of live births to non-UK-born mothers generally increasing.
- In 2022, India replaced Romania as the most common country of birth for non-UK-born mothers, and Pakistan as the most common country of birth for non-UK-born fathers.
- In 2022, two-thirds of live births in London occurred to parents where either one or both parents were born outside of the UK; London continues to have the highest percentage of such births out of all the English regions and Wales.
Baby names in England and Wales
Most popular first names for baby boys and girls in 2021 using birth registration data.
Datasets related to Live births
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Baby names for boys in England and Wales
Rank and count of the top names for baby boys, changes in rank since the previous year and breakdown by country, region and month of birth.
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Baby names for girls in England and Wales
Rank and count of the top names for baby girls, changes in rank since the previous year and breakdown by country, region and month of birth.
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Parents’ country of birth
Annual data on live births in England and Wales by parents' country of birth.
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Births in England and Wales: summary tables
Live births and stillbirths annual summary statistics, by sex, age of mother, whether within marriage or civil partnership, percentage of non-UK-born mothers, birth rates and births by month and mothers' area of usual residence.
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Births by parents’ characteristics
Annual live births in England and Wales by age of mother and father, type of registration, median interval between births, number of previous live-born children and National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC).
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Birth characteristics
Annual live births in England and Wales by sex, birthweight, gestational age, ethnicity and month. Maternities by place of birth and with multiple births. Stillbirths by age of parents and calendar quarter.
Publications related to Live births
Statistical bulletins
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Childbearing for women born in different years, England and Wales: 2021 and 2022
The changing composition of families over time, comparing the fertility of women of the same age and the number of children they have had.
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Baby names in England and Wales: 2021
Most popular first names for baby boys and girls in 2021 using birth registration data.
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Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2022
Annual live births in England and Wales by sex, birthweight, gestational age, ethnicity and month, maternities by place of birth and with multiple births, and stillbirths by age of parents and calendar quarter.
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Births by parents’ country of birth, England and Wales: 2022
Annual statistics on live births including countries of birth for non-UK-born mothers and fathers.
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Births in England and Wales: 2023
Annual live births, stillbirths, maternities, and fertility rates in England and Wales by factors including parent age, ethnicity, deprivation, gestational age, and birthweight.
Articles
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Births in England and Wales explained
An article to explain the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had on 2020 births data and the differences between birth registration and birth notification data.
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Baby names: where you live could shape what you call your baby
Analysis shows that names given to babies differ by local authority within England and Wales.
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Childbearing by socio-economic status and country of birth of mother
This article explores the relationship between the socio-economic status of women and their fertility and, in particular, examines how this differs for UK born women compared with non-UK born women. How is a woman’s socio-economic status associated with her childbearing outcomes?
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How popular is your birthday?
A peak in births in late September show that more babies are conceived in the weeks leading up to and days after Christmas than at any other time of the year.
Methodology related to Live births
Find, compare and visualise statistics about places within the United Kingdom.