Greater than half of girls haven’t had a baby by the point they flip 30 for the primary time ever, official statistics confirmed as we speak.
Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) figures present 53 per cent of girls born in 1991 have been childless by their thirtieth birthday final yr.
The proportion was the very best on report, having dropped to only 18 per cent through the early Nineteen Seventies.
That was the identical proportion as those that remained childless by the age of 45 final yr, the ONS figures confirmed.
The findings proceed a long-term development of individuals opting to have kids later in life and scale back household measurement, the ONS mentioned.
The most typical age to have a baby was 31 for girls born in 1975, the newest date out there to embody all childbearing ages.
It was 9 years later than the commonest age for girls born again in 1949 to provide beginning.
Workplace for Nationwide Statistics (ONS) figures present 53 per cent of girls born in 1991 have been childless by their thirtieth birthday final yr. Graph exhibits: The proportion of girls childless on the age of 30 (darkish blue line) and 45 (gentle blue line) by their date of beginning
The ONS knowledge additionally exhibits the typical variety of kids a lady has had by the age of 30 (darkish blue line) has been dropping since 1971, when it stood at 1.89
The ONS knowledge exhibits the speed of childlessness in girls aged 30 has been growing constantly since 1978, when it stood at round 21 per cent.
After briefly dipping from 2009 to 2013 — when the speed was round 45 per cent — it picked again up once more over the previous few years.
Final yr, it breached the 50 per cent mark for the primary time, with nearly all of girls selecting to not or unable to have a baby by the point they flip 30.
Amanda Sharfman, an ONS statistician, mentioned: ‘We proceed to see a delay in childbearing, with girls born in 1990 changing into the primary cohort the place half of the ladies stay childless by their thirtieth birthday.
‘Ranges of childlessness by age 30 have been steadily rising since a low of 18 per cent for girls born in 1941.
‘Decrease ranges of fertility in these at the moment of their 20s point out that this development is more likely to proceed.’
The ONS knowledge additionally exhibits the typical variety of kids a lady has had by the age of 30 has been dropping since 1971, when it stood at 1.89.
Final yr, it fell to 0.89, its lowest ever degree, displaying the drop off in household sizes for individuals of their 20s.
Ms Sharfman mentioned: ‘The common variety of kids born to a lady has been under two for girls born for the reason that late 1950’s.
‘Whereas two youngster households are nonetheless the commonest, girls who’ve lately accomplished their childbearing are extra probably than their moms’ technology to have just one youngster or none in any respect.’
The ONS mentioned: ‘Whereas common household measurement has decreased, two kids households stay the commonest household measurement throughout each generations, with 37 per cent of girls born in 1975 and 44 per cent of these born in 1949 having two kids.
‘For these born in 1975, 27 per cent had three or extra kids and 17 per cent had just one youngster, in contrast with 30 per cent and 13 per cent respectively, for his or her moms’ technology.’