Shock figures show six women in UK have given birth to their 21st child since 2019
SIX women in the UK have given birth to their 21st child since 2019, figures have revealed.
The shocking statistic emerged in a government breakdown of how much it forks out on child benefit — a total of almost £12billion.
It shows 15 mums with 13 or more kids are among families getting more than £10,000 per year in child benefits.
And there are currently 7,655 parents with seven or more kids who claim the handout.
Child benefit rates increased in April from £21.80 per week for the first-born child to £24, while the rate for all subsequent kids rose from £14.45 to £15.90.
It means families with 13 kids will get at least £11,170 a year.
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The figures show there are 7.1 million families who claim child benefit, for a total of 12.3 million youngsters.
The vast majority claim for up to three children.
But the Office for National Statistics found in the last year, six mums gave birth to their 21st child and 285 had a baby while already having at least ten.
These mothers would most likely not be able to claim benefits for all of their offspring as the oldest are probably grown up and no longer eligible.
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The revelation of these mega-families will fuel debates over the benefit system.
James Roberts, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, called for child benefit to be scrapped.
He said: “Working tax credits are a better way to ensure parents provide for their own children.”