Over a quarter of births to mums born outside the UK – and more are waiting until they are over 40 to have kids
Official figures also revealed fertility rates fell for every age group apart from the over 40s - and Britain's birth rate has plunged to a 14-year low
OVER a quarter of births are now to mums who were born outside the UK - and more women are waiting until they are in the 40s to have kids.
Official figures also revealed fertility rates fell for every age group apart from the over 40s - and Britain's birth rate has plunged to a 14-year low.
Mums who were not born in the UK but had their babies in Britain accounted for a record 28.4 per cent of the total live births, which compares to 11.6 [er cent in 1990.
Meanwhile, Britain's birthrate has plunged to a 14 YEAR low –sparking fresh fears over a “demographic time-bomb”.
There were 679,106 births in England and Wales in 2017, down 2.5 per cent and the lowest figure since 2006.
But the actual rate of children per women fell to 1.76 - the smallest since 2003. Fertility rates fell for every age group apart from the over 40s, where there were more births than at any point since 1949.
The shock figures came a day after experts warned Britain faced 50 years of austerity because health spending will have to double to cope with the dramatic rise in old-age pensioners.
Tory peer Ros Altmann told The Sun: “This is just a glimpse of the demographic disaster that awaits us.
"The Government needs to get a grip of this and develop policies that address pension costs, health costs and social care.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) on Tuesday said the number of over 65s as a proportion of the working age population would rise from just below 30 per cent to nearly 50 per cent by the 2060s.
Age related spending is expected to take up nearly a third of the Government’s entire budget at this time.
Yesterday’s birth figures revealed foreign-born Mums accounted for 28.4 per cent of all births in 2017 – a new record and up from 28.2 per cent in 2016 and just 11.6 per cent in 1990.
The stillbirth rate fell to the lowest rate since current records began in 1927.
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ONS spokeswoman Nicola Haines said: "Birth rates for live births have decreased for all women except those aged 40 years and over where the birth rate has continued to rise, following a trend seen for the last 40 years.
"Despite this, the proportion of women aged 40 and over having a baby still remains below that seen in the 1940s."
She added: "The stillbirth rate has dropped to a record low, declining each year since 2011.
"It is a step towards achieving a government ambition to reduce the rate of stillbirths by introducing new maternity strategies while ensuring the best and safest care."