Shocking new statistics have revealed that over one in three UK births last year were to mothers born outside of the UK, the highest percentage on record. 33.9% of 2024 births were to people who have migrated to the country, a sharp increase from 17% when records began in 2001.
India came top of the list, for the second year in a row after overtaking Romania in 2022. Other countries in the top 10 included Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Iraq, Poland, Ghana, Afghanistan and Albania. Reform UK’s Lee Anderson MP voiced deep concern at the revelation, warning: “The statistics do not lie.”
He told the Express: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – mass uncontrolled immigration has led to us giving our country away to different nationalities and cultures. It is not racist, bigoted or far right to say this. Its just the truth.”
The statistics showed that 2024 saw the first rise in births overall since 2021, helped by a “notable” jump in the number of babies born to fathers over the age of 60.
594,677 children were born last year, a modest rise of 0.6% in 2023, though this remains the third-lowest year since 1977.
There were large regional variations, with a 1.4% fall in the North East and a 2% drop in Wales.
Areas with higher ethnic minorities, such as the West Midlands and London, were up 3.4% and 1.8% respectively.
The number of births to fathers aged over 60 rose by 14%, from 942 in 2023 to 1,076.
Greg Ceely, head of population monitoring at the Office for National Statistics, said of the new data: “In 2024, the annual number of births in England and Wales reversed the recent trend of declining births, recording the first increase seen since 2021.
“Despite this overall rise, the number of births to mothers under 30 fell as people continue to put off having children until later in life. The largest decrease is seen amongst those under 20 years old, which fell by almost 5 per cent, while the number of mothers aged 35 to 39 grew the most.
“A couple of other long-term trends are continuing, such as seeing around half of live births within marriage or civil partnership, and an increase in births to non-UK-born mothers.”
