Births in England and Wales increase for first time since 2021

Rise in number of babies born to men over 60 a factor in small rise in birthrate, shows ONS data

An increase in babies born to fathers over 60 helped trigger the first increase in the number of births in England and Wales since 2021.

Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed there were 594,677 live births in 2024, up 0.6% from 2023.