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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Kevin Rawlinson and agency

Birthrate in England and Wales drops to lowest level in two decades

A woman gazing at her newborn child.
The number of births occurring outside marriage or civil partnership remained higher than births within either. Photograph: Thanasis Zovoilis/Getty Images

The number of babies born in England and Wales in a year dropped in 2022 to the lowest level in two decades, according to official figures.

It follows the recent trend of decreasing live births, which had been the case before the pandemic, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

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