Fertility rate falls in Wigan – as it reaches new record low in England and Wales
The fertility rate fell in Wigan last year, new figures show.
Earlier this year, education secretary Bridget Phillipson called for Britons to have more children sooner, warning of the "worrying repercussions" of declining fertility rates.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show the total fertility rate in Wigan stood at 1.47 children per woman in 2024.
It was down from 1.51 the previous year.
The total fertility rate is defined as the average number of live children women would expect to have across their childbearing life.
Separate ONS statistics from earlier this year show 3,310 live births were recorded in Wigan in 2024 – a slight increase on 3,296 the previous year.
Across England and Wales, the total fertility rate stood at 1.41 last year – down from 1.42 in 2023.
It means the rate fell for the third year in a row to reach a new record low, and it is the lowest figure since comparable data began in 1938, according to the ONS.
This is despite the number of births increasing slightly last year, from 591,072 in 2023 to 594,677 in 2024.
But the size of the overall population rose which meant fertility rates across the two nations fell overall.
The figures also reveal regional disparities in the rate and its evolution.
As most regions saw a drop in their total fertility rate last year, London and the West Midlands region recorded an increase from 2023.
Greg Ceely, ONS head of population health monitoring, said: "Fertility rates in England and Wales have been in overall decline since 2010.
"The total number of births increased last year, for the first time since 2021, but this was offset by population growth.
"As a result, fertility rates fell overall, and are now at the lowest rates on record."
The figures also show the standardised mean age of mothers in England and Wales was 31 years last year, while for fathers it was 33.9.
It means both standardised mean ages increased by 0.1 years from 2023.