The UK is facing a “baby shortage”, with fertility rates dropping to nearly half those seen in the Post-War Boom, raising concerns over potential “long-term” economic stagnation.
A report from Social Market Foundation (SMF) found that in 2020, the total fertility rate (TFR) – the number of children per woman – stood at 1.58 in England and Wales, nearly half of the peak following the Second World War of 2.93. Scotland saw the sharpest decline, with a fertility rate of 1.29.
