Legal News

Britain’s birth rate has been pushed to one of the highest in Europe because of migrants, says a figure released by the EU’s statistical arm Eurostat.
The average birth rate in Britain has crossed ahead of those in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Malta, Holland and Finland by 2010 at an average of 1.98 children per woman. All six countries had higher birth rates than the UK in 2000.
Women here were now likely to have an average of just under two children, a level exceeded only in two of the other 27 European Union countries.
A decade ago, before large-scale immigration had a major impact on birth rates, Britain was firmly in the middle of the European table.
Since then, high fertility levels among migrants and a rapid rise in birth rates among women born here have helped push up the population faster than almost everywhere else in Europe.
Only women in France, with a birth rate just ahead of the UK at 2.03, and Ireland, at 2.07, have more children.
Just over 723,000 babies were born in England and Wales in 2010, up from fewer than 600,000 in 2000. The average number of children each woman likely to have has gone up from 1.64.
The main reason for the increase was immigration, with many migrants of child-bearing age, and with many from cultures where larger families were a common feature.
The rising birth rate was also partially attributed to those born in the UK in the 1960s and 70s having children later having delayed because they have been focusing on careers.
Having children has for many also been delayed by the need for a couple to maintain two incomes to cover mortgage and other costs.
European countries which have shown falling birth rates have been accepting fewer numbers of migrants than Britain and are still have been maintaining lesser growth rate among women who in recent years have been delaying childbirth.
France has had higher birth rates than Britain since the 1990s and its fertility levels were also pushed upwards by the arrival of high numbers of immigrants.
Most recent figures show British birthrates have remained steady since 2010.
The Office for National Statistics said this may be because of ‘Government policy and the economic climate indirectly influencing individuals’ decisions around childbearing and therefore affecting the number of births.’