Really transitional moment': what should we do about declining fertility rates?

"We happen to be alive at this really transitional moment, said Prof Jane Falkingham, the director of the Centre for Population Change at the University of Southampton. We're moving from a world with high fertility and high mortality to a world of low mortality and low fertility. We have to get our heads around how we're going to make that transition from the old world to the new world."

"Earlier this week, figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the fertility rate for England and Wales had fallen for the third year in a row to reach a record low of 1.41. The rate represents the average number of live children women can expect to have in their child-bearing life. The figures are part of a long-term trend of declining fertility rates across much of the globe."

"Some of the effects are already being felt, with schools in some parts of the UK closing or merging due to declining pupil numbers, and the sector expected to lose 1bn in funding by 2030. In June it was announced that five primary schools in Westminster, central London, would be merged to two, after they reported declining pupil numbers, put down to housing costs and falling birthrates."

Global fertility rates have been declining for decades, with England and Wales recording a record low fertility rate of 1.41 after three consecutive years of decline. The fertility rate measures the average number of live children women can expect to have in their childbearing lives. Falling fertility accelerates population ageing, which will affect workforce ages, retirement timing, life-course organization, and public services. Early impacts include school closures and mergers and projected education funding losses of about £1bn by 2030. Housing costs and falling birthrates have contributed to declining pupil numbers in urban areas. Demographers warn the sharp decline is accelerating future demographic imbalances, reducing the future working-age population and amplifying economic and social pressures.

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