Population Shift: 68% of Children Born in London Have Foreign Origins
According to the latest data from the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), 33.9% of babies born in England and Wales in 2024 had mothes born outside the UK, the highest proportion ever recorded. Just fifteen years ago, in 2009, that figure was under 25%.
Furthermore, two in five babies now have at least one parent born abroad. In London, the share of births with foreign origins reaches 68%, while in the Northeast of England it barely exceeds 22.6%, highlighting stark regional disparities.
These figures underscore the direct impact of immigration on the country’s demographic transformation at a time when the government acknowledges that generational replacement relies almost entirely on the arrival of foreign-born populations.
UK’s Fertility Rates Plummet While Immigrant Birth Rates Rise
This week, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson urged Britons to have more children and to do so earlier in life. Her call followed data showing a historic decline in births among women under 30, alongside a steady rise in late motherhood.
In 2024, England and Wales recorded 594,677 births , the first increase since 2021, yet still the third lowest annual total since 1977. The rise was concentrated in regions with strong immigrant populations, such as London and the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, births to mothers under 20 fell by 4.6% compared to the previous year, with declines also among those aged 20 to 24. Conversely, births increased across all groups of women over 30, especially those over 45. The trend affects fathers as well: births with fathers over 60 surged by 14.2% in just one year.
India, Pakistan, and Nigeria Lead as Top Countries of Origin
The ONS report highlights that for the third consecutive year, India remained the most common foreign country of origin among mothers, accounting for 4.4% of all births. It is followed by Pakistan (3.6%) and Nigeria (2.5%). Iraq has entered the top ten for the first time, at 0.6%.
Greg Ceely, head of population health surveillance at the ONS, confirmed ongoing trends: “Births to mothers born outside the UK continue to rise, while births among young British women are plummeting. People are increasingly delaying their decision to have children”.
