By DAILY MAIL REPORTER and STEVE DOUGHTY The number of babies born in England and Wales reached an all-time high last year. There were more than 700,000 births, 100,000 more than when the birthrate hit its lowest in 2001. The birthrate has been pushed up fast in recent years by immigration. Last year nearly a quarter of all babies in England in Wales were born to mothers who were themselves born abroad. The number of live births in 2008 was 708,708, of which 24 per cent were born to mothers from outside the UK, according to figures from ONS The figures were released by the Office for National Statistics, which said: 'Fertility rates for 2008 give an average number of 1.95 children for every woman (over their lifetime) in England and Wales, the highest since 1973 when there was an average of two children for every woman.' The number of births, 708,708, was the highest since 1972, when the long postwar baby boom began to fade away. Migration is a key reason for the rising birthrate. Some 24 per cent of all babies were born to mothers from abroad, up from 23 per cent in 2007 and 14 per cent in 1998. More than 15 per cent of all babies have both a mother and father born outside the UK. In London, more than half of all children are born to foreign-born mothers. Among women born in Britain, fertility rates are running at a low level - a British-born woman can expect to have 1.6 children in her lifetime. Mothers born outside Britain have a current fertility rate of 2.2 children. The highest fertility rate is among women born in Pakistan and Bangladesh, who can expect to have 4.7 and 3.9 children respectively. The town with the highest fertility rate was Boston in Lincolnshire, where women can expect 2.81 children in a lifetime. Baby boom: The number of babies born in Britain has reached an all-time high The East of England has attracted high numbers of migrant workers in recent years to agriculture and factories. High fertility rates among immigrant groups are thought likely to play a central role in pushing up the overall population. Official projections suggest that the UK population will reach 70million by 2028, and that 70 per cent of the ten million increase will be driven by immigration. Critics said the figures pointed to future problems for 'social cohesion'. Robert Whelan of the Civitas think-tank said: 'This shows the impact that mass immigration is having on the demography of the country. 'It is changing the make-up of the population. 'Many of the children now being born will be brought up in a different culture to that of the majority population. 'This suggests there may be issues in the future when the children grow up and make up a high proportion of the population.' The population also rose as mortality rates in England and Wales fell to the lowest level ever recorded. Last year fewer than 7,000 men and 5,000 women in every million died - a rate that has fallen by 25 per cent for men and 19 per cent for women over the past decade. Nine out of every 20 babies were born outside marriage last year, the ONS figures showed. The proportion of children born to unmarried mothers has passed 45 per cent for the first time, up from 37 per cent in 1997, when Labour came to power. Labour has been accused of encouraging single parenthood with tax and benefit systems that favour lone mothers over couples. Until 30 years ago only about one baby in every ten was born to an unmarried mother.Baby boom: Nearly quarter of babies are born to mothers from outside the UK as birth rate hits all-time high
Last updated at 8:43 AM on 22nd May 2009
Friday, 22 May 2009
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