Spotlight
Conceptions in England and Wales: 2018
What's in the bulletin?
- In 2018, there were an estimated 839,043 conceptions to women of all ages in England and Wales compared with 847,204 in 2017, a decrease of nearly 1.0%.
- The conception rate for women under 18 years decreased for the 11th year in a row, the longest continued decrease since records began.
- The percentage of conceptions leading to a legal abortion among all women resident in England and Wales increased from 22.7% in 2017 to 24.0% in 2018, the highest percentage since records began in 1990.
Childbearing for women born in different years, England and Wales: 2018
What's in the bulletin?
- The average completed family size for women in England and Wales who reached age 45 years in 2018 (having been born in 1973) was 1.89 children per woman, unchanged from the previous cohort (women born in 1972); this is the lowest level since the series began.
- The proportion of women having just one child has risen in recent cohorts completing their childbearing (from 14% for women born in 1946 to 18% for women born in 1973), but two-children families remain the most common family size (37% for women born in 1973).
- Of the women who reached age 45 years in 2018, 19% were childless at the end of their childbearing years; this is more than double the proportion of childlessness (9%) in their mothers’ generation born in 1946 but is similar to levels seen for women born since the late 1950s.
Births in England and Wales
Live births, stillbirths and the intensity of childbearing, measured by the total fertility rate.
Datasets related to Conception and fertility rates
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Quarterly conceptions to women aged under 18 years, England and Wales
Quarterly statistics on conceptions to women aged under 18 years resident in England and Wales; numbers and rates are by regions and other local authority areas.
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Conception statistics, England and Wales
Annual statistics on conceptions to residents of England and Wales; numbers and rates by age group including women aged under 18 years, inside and outside marriage or civil partnership, and area of usual residence.
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Childbearing for women born in different years
Annual analysis of fertility by cohort for women in England and Wales. Cohort fertility analysis allows the fertility experience of a group of women sharing the same birth year (a "cohort") to be traced through time and compared with other cohorts.
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Conception statistics, England and Wales
Annual statistics on conceptions to residents of England and Wales; numbers and rates by age group including women aged under 18 years, inside and outside marriage or civil partnership, and area of usual residence.
Publications related to Conception and fertility rates
Statistical bulletins
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Conceptions in England and Wales: 2018
Annual statistics on conceptions to residents of England and Wales, with numbers and rates by age group including women aged under 18 years.
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Birth characteristics in England and Wales: 2019
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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Childbearing for women born in different years, England and Wales: 2019
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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Births by parents’ country of birth, England and Wales: 2019
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: 2019
Live births, stillbirths and the intensity of childbearing, measured by the total fertility rate.
Articles
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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?
Methodology related to Conception and fertility rates
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A handy guide to let you know where to find local statistics.