The number of conceptions among women over 40 in England and Wales has reached a new record high, figures show.
There were 36,085 conceptions in this age group in 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is the equivalent of 17.6 conceptions per 1,000 women, surpassing the previous record of 17.3 per 1,000 set in 2021.
The ONS said conception rates among the over-40s are on an upwards trend and have increased by almost a third since 2010, when the rate stood at 13.4 per 1,000.
Of the 36,085 conceptions in this age group in 2023, 22,365 led to maternities – which covers the births of both live-born and stillborn children – while 13,725 led to abortions.
The proportion of conceptions ending in abortion among over-40s has jumped over the past 10 years from 28.3% in 2013 to 38.0% in 2023.
In total there were 871,050 conceptions for women of all ages in England and Wales in 2023 – a rate of 72.7 per 1,000 – up from 834,260 the previous year and the third consecutive annual increase.
The latest ONS data, published on Friday, also showed a new record high for the percentage of conceptions leading to abortion.
Nearly one in three conceptions in 2023 (32.1%) led to an abortion, up from about one in four at the start of the decade (25.3% in 2020).
The number of conceptions leading to abortion stood at 279,970.
Separate data published in January by the Department of Health showed abortions in England and Wales were a record 277,970 in 2023.
The difference between the numbers is because the ONS bases its data on the estimated date of conception, while the Government data uses the date the abortion took place.
Charities and health leaders responded to the Government data in January by saying the record number of abortions was likely to reflect economic pressures and the rising cost of living, as well as poor access to sexual health services.
Temporary measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic that approved the use of both pills for early medical abortion at home, without the need to first attend a hospital or clinic, were subsequently made permanent in England and Wales in 2022.
The ONS figures show that women aged between 30 and 34 had the highest number of conceptions for the seventh year in a row (260,810 in 2023), and also the lowest percentage of conceptions leading to abortion (22.4% or 58,335).
Under-16s had the highest percentage of conceptions ending in abortion (66.3%), followed by 16-17 year olds (60.4%).
The number of conceptions leading to maternities for women aged under 20 was the lowest on record, at 19,820, down from 20,655 in 2022.
Liverpool was the local authority area in England and Wales with the highest percentage of conceptions ending in abortion in 2023, at 43.3%, up from 40.3% in 2022, according to Press Association analysis of ONS data.
The next highest was Knowsley in Merseyside, at 40.4% (up from 37.9%), followed by Lambeth in London on 40.3% (up from 38.5%), Brighton & Hove in East Sussex on 40.1% (up from 40.3%), and Salford in Greater Manchester on 40.1% (up from 36.5%).
Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire had the lowest percentage in 2023 at 19.9%, down from 24.2% in 2022, followed by East Cambridgeshire on 20.0% (down from 18.5%), South Cambridgeshire on 20.0% (down from 20.1%), and Stroud in Gloucestershire on 21.2% (down from 21.3%).
The largest year on year increase in the proportion of conceptions leading to abortion was in Bolsover in Derbyshire, up by 8.5 percentage points from 20.3% in 2022 to 28.8%, while the biggest fall was in Ceredigion in west Wales, down by 4.9 points from 32.4% to 27.5%.
