The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social StructureHannaliis Jaadla, Alice Reid, Eilidh Garrett
Concerns about low and declining fertility are common in the media and feature in public discussions around much of Europe and South East Asia. The size of the future work force and the sustainability of pension systems in years to come both depend on the number of children born today. In England and Wales, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) fell to 1.49 children per woman in 2022, and 2023 was the first year in nearly half a century – and only the second in the last 250 years – when there were fewer births than deaths.