Analysis: Live birth statistics for England and Wales 2023 [LATEST]

  • Chris Freeman

In 2023, parents welcomed over 591,072 new additions to the family in England and Wales according to the latest statistics available.

But in the numbers show interesting trends on both a regional and authority level. So we’ve analysed and sorted the numbers to dig into what’s really happening and cherry picked the key points you should know.

Read on to see how different regions compare to one another, which authorities saw live births increase and how regions compare to their 2022 statistics.

Note: The birth statistics for 2023 presented in this post were collected from the ONS’s latest births in England and Wales release.

 

Live birth statistics by region (England and Wales):

Overall, live births in England, Wales and Elsewhere decreased from 605,479 to 591,072, a 2.3% decrease. This has been an on-going trend and picks up from the pre-COVID years as birth rates consistently decrease.

In terms of where those births are happening, we’ve ranked regions in England and Wales by live births below.

  1. London: 104,252 (2022: 106,696)
  2. South East: 88,164 (2022: 90,589)
  3. North West: 73,741 (2022: 76,399)
  4. East Anglia: 63,190 (2022: 64,294)
  5. West Midlands: 62,126 (2022: 63,368)
  6. Yorkshire and the Humber: 53,991 (2022: 55,203)
  7. South West: 47,564 (2022: 48,947)
  8. East Midlands: 45,960 (2022: 46,849)
  9. Wales: 27,374 (2022: 28,296)
  10. North East: 24,573 (2022: 24,701)

 

Live births by authority (top 10 by volume):

Within these regions, county councils register the most births due to their size, with 8 out of 10 of the authorities with the highest volume of live births being county councils.

    1. Kent: 15,429
    2. Essex: 15,070
    3. Birmingham: 14,238
    4. Hampshire: 12,409
    5. Hertfordshire: 12,279
    6. Surrey: 11,474
    7. Lancashire: 11,374
    8. Leeds: 8,346
    9. West Sussex: 7,768
    10. Staffordshire: 7,739

 

Top 10 authorities by live births 2023

 

Check out our round up of the top 5 busiest county councils for births broken down over the last 3 years below: 

Ranking/Council  2023 2022 2021
1. Kent 15,429 16,364 16,633
2. Essex 15,070 15,546 16,215
3. Birmingham 14,238 14,482 14,477
4. Hampshire 12,409 12,838 13,468
5. Hertfordshire 12,279 12,449 13,495

 

Notably, Birmingham is the only authority to have had an increase from their 2021 birth volume in a later year (2022) of this top 5.

 

Regional live birth breakdown:

North East – 24,573 live births

The North East saw a 0.5% decrease on their statistics from 2022 (down from 24,701), the smallest decrease in England and Wales across all regions.

Sunderland, Northumberland, Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington and Hartlepool all saw an increase in the number of live births seen in their authorities compared to the year prior.

The biggest net increase was seen in Sunderland (+48), while the biggest decrease was in North Tyneside (-83).

  1. Durham: 4,498 (2022: 4,505)
  2. Newcastle: 3,008 (2022: 3,070)
  3. Sunderland: 2,641 (2022: 2,593)
  4. Northumberland: 2,486 (2022: 2,464)
  5. Stockton-On-Tees: 1,920 (2022: 1,901)
  6. Middlesbrough: 1,830 (2022: 1,785)
  7. North Tyneside: 1,815 (2022: 1,898)
  8. Gateshead: 1,813 (2022: 1,850)
  9. South Tyneside: 1,396 (2022: 1,436)
  10. Redcar and Cleveland: 1,195 (2022: 1,276)
  11. Darlington: 1,040 (2022: 1,032)
  12. Hartlepool: 931 (2022: 891)

 

North West – 73,741 live births

The North West saw a decrease of 3.48% in their total live births compared to their 2022 figures (76,399), the biggest decrease in England.

Bury and Blackburn and Darwen both saw increases in the number of live births in their authorities.

The biggest increase was seen in Bury (+47), while the biggest decrease was seen in Cheshire East (-424).

  1. Lancashire: 11,374 (2022: 11,754)
  2. Manchester: 6,633 (2022: 6,956)
  3. Liverpool: 4,906 (2022: 5,105)
  4. Cheshire East: 3,542 (2022: 3,966)
  5. Bolton: 3,396 (2022: 3,717)
  6. Salford: 3,358 (2022: 3,559)
  7. Wigan: 3,296 (2022: 3,557)
  8. Cheshire West and Chester: 3,103 (2022: 3,439)
  9. Oldham: 2,987 (2022: 3,219)
  10. Stockport: 2,921 (2022: 3,158)
  11. Wirral: 2,813 (2022: 2,931)
  12. Rochdale: 2,675 (2022: 2,877)
  13. Tameside: 2,438 (2022: 2,769)
  14. Sefton: 2,293 (2022: 2,488)
  15. Cumberland: 2,256 (2022: NEW)
  16. Trafford: 2,161 (2022: 2,170)
  17. Bury: 2,055 (2022: 2,008)
  18. Knowlsey: 1,875 (2022: 1,932)
  19. Blackburn with Darwen: 1,869 (2022: 1,856)
  20. Warrington: 1,800 (2022: 1,914)
  21. St Helens: 1,766 (2022: 1,858)
  22. Westmoorland and Furness: 1,642 (2022: NEW)
  23. Blackpool: 1,402 (2022: 1,499)
  24. Halton: 1,180 (2022: 1,193)

 

Yorkshire and the Humber – 53,991 live births

The Yorkshire and the Humber saw a drop of 2.20% in their total live births compared to their 2022 figures (55,203).

Bradford, East Riding and Calderdale all saw increases in the number of live births in their authorities over the previous year.

The biggest increase in live births was seen in Bradford (+178), while the biggest fall was seen in Kirklees (-328).

  1. Leeds: 8,346 (2022: 8,617)
  2. Bradford: 6,862 (2022: 6,684)
  3. Sheffield: 5,649 (2022: 5,705)
  4. North Yorkshire: 4,777 (2022: 4,934)
  5. Kirklees: 4,374 (2022: 4,702)
  6. Wakefield: 3,502 (2022: 3,646)
  7. Doncaster: 3,243 (2022: 3,350)
  8. Kingston Upon Hull: 3,108 (2022: 3,109)
  9. Rotherham: 2,747 (2022: 2,811)
  10. East Riding: 2,591 (2022: 2,566)
  11. Barnsley: 2,430 (2022: 2,525)
  12. Calderdale: 1,969 (2022: 1,945)
  13. North Lincolnshire: 1,501 (2022: 1,549)
  14. York: 1,465 (2022: 1,573)
  15. North East Lincolnshire: 1,427 (2022: 1,487)

 

East Midlands – 45,960 live births

The East Midlands saw a 1.9% decrease in their total live births compared to their 2022 figures (46,849).

Leicester, West Northamptonshire and Derby all saw an increase in live births within their authorities compared to their 2022 value.

The biggest increase in the East Midlands was seen in Leicester (+116) while the biggest decrease was seen in Lincolnshire (-399).

  1. Nottinghamshire: 7,466 (2022: 7,549)
  2. Derbyshire: 6,920 (2022: 7,217)
  3. Leicestershire: 6,431 (2022: 6,603)
  4. Lincolnshire: 5,998 (2022: 6,397)
  5. West Northamptonshire: 4,524 (2022: 4,451)
  6. Leicester: 4,492 (2022: 4,376)
  7. North Northamptonshire: 3,587 (2022: 3,714)
  8. Nottingham: 3,370 (2022: 3,404)
  9. Derby: 2,911 (2022: 2,864)
  10. Rutland: 261 (2022: 274)

 

West Midlands – 62,126 live births

The West Midlands saw a 1.96% decrease in their total live births compared to their 2022 figures (63,368).

Sandwell and Wolverhampton both increased in birth volumes on their previous year.

The biggest increase in the West Midlands was seen in Wolverhampton (+84), while the most significant decrease was found in Staffordshire (-282).

  1. Birmingham: 14,238 (2022: 14,482)
  2. Staffordshire: 7,739 (2022: 8,021)
  3. Warwickshire: 5,728 (2022: 5,757)
  4. Worcestershire: 5,203 (2022: 5,334)
  5. Sandwell: 4,351 (2022: 4,330)
  6. Coventry: 4,036 (2022: 4,059)
  7. Wolverhampton: 3,407 (2022: 3,323)
  8. Walsall: 3,347 (2022: 3,502)
  9. Dudley: 3,341 (2022: 3,439)
  10. Stoke: 2,948 (2022: 3,059)
  11. Shropshire: 2,427 (2022: 2,567)
  12. Solihull: 1,939 (2022: 1,983)
  13. Telford: 1,924 (2022: 1,991)
  14. Herefordshire: 1,498 (2022: 1,521)

 

East Anglia – 63,190 live births

East Anglia saw the second smallest decrease in birth volumes between 2022 and 2023, with a decrease of 1.72% (from 64,294).

Luton, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford all saw growth in the number of live births over this period, increasing by 453 in total.

The biggest increase however was seen in Central Bedfordshire (+193), while the biggest decrease was seen in Essex (-476)

  1. Essex: 15,070 (2022: 15,546)
  2. Hertfordshire: 12,279 (2022: 12,449)
  3. Norfolk: 7,405 (2022: 7,679)
  4. Suffolk: 6,615 (2022: 6,858)
  5. Cambridgeshire: 6,208 (2022: 6,395)
  6. Central Bedfordshire: 3,581 (2022: 3,388)
  7. Luton: 3,464 (2022: 3,304)
  8. Peterborough: 2,531 (2022: 2,618)
  9. Thurrock: 2,152 (2022: 2,191)
  10. Bedford: 2,095 (2022: 1,995)
  11. Southend-on-Sea: 1,790 (2022: 1,871)

 

London – 104,252 live births

The inner and outer London boroughs saw a decrease of 2.29% over their 2022 figure of 106,696.

Croydon, Ealing, Tower Hamlets, Hillingdon, Wandsworth, Hounslow and Barking and Dagenham all saw increases in the number of births in their district during 2023 on the year prior.

The biggest increase was seen in Wandsworth (+112), while the biggest decrease was seen in Harrow (-279).

  1. Newham: 5,494 (2022: 5,598)
  2. Croydon: 4,939 (2022: 4,872)
  3. Barnet: 4,563 (2022: 4,621)
  4. Ealing: 4,441 (2022: 4,427)
  5. Brent: 4,347 (2022: 4,431)
  6. Tower Hamlets: 4,151 (2022: 4,127)
  7. Redbridge: 4,108 (2022: 4,243)
  8. Hillingdon: 4,082 (2022: 4,037)
  9. Waltham Forest: 3,941 (2022: 4,040)
  10. Wandsworth: 3,924 (2022: 3,812)
  11. Enfield: 3,658 (2022: 3,921)
  12. Greenwich: 3,591 (2022: 3,760)
  13. Lewisham: 3,586 (2022: 3,820)
  14. Hounslow: 3,577 (2022: 3,529)
  15. Hackney: 3,443 (2022: 3,482)
  16. Bromley: 3,408 (2022: 3,431)
  17. Barking and Dagenham: 3,407 (2022: 3,360)
  18. Lambeth: 3,272 (2022: 3,345)
  19. Southwark: 3,265 (2022: 3,393)
  20. Havering: 3,084 (2022: 3,089)
  21. Haringey: 3,064 (2022: 3,085)
  22. Harrow: 3,019 (2022: 3,298)
  23. Bexley: 2,604 (2022: 2,765)
  24. Merton: 2,474 (2022: 2,497)
  25. Islington: 2,259 (2022: 2,443)
  26. Sutton: 2,107 (2022: 2,220)
  27. Camden: 1,976 (2022: 2,072)
  28. Westminster: 1,909 (2022: 1,967)
  29. Hammersmith and Fulham: 1,882 (2022: 2,006)
  30. Richmond: 1,674 (2022: 1,827)
  31. Kingston: 1,607 (2022: 1,726)
  32. Kensington and Chelsea: 1,339 (2022: 1,387)
  33. City of London: 57 (2022: 65)

 

South East – 88,164 live births

The South East saw a drop of ~2,000 live births from the year prior, with an overall decrease of 2.68%.

Portsmouth, Milton Keynes and Buckinghamshire all saw live births increase in their authorities compared to the year prior.

Kent saw the greatest decrease within the region (-935), while Milton Keynes oversaw the biggest increase (+97).

  1. Kent: 15,429 (2022: 16,364)
  2. Hampshire: 12,409 (2022: 12,838)
  3. Surrey: 11,474 (2022: 11,740)
  4. West Sussex: 7,768 (2022: 7,970)
  5. Oxfordshire: 7,144 (2022: 7,201)
  6. Buckinghamshire: 5,585 (2022: 5,533)
  7. East Sussex: 4,321 (2022: 4,411)
  8. Medway: 3,243 (2022: 3,293)
  9. Milton Keynes: 3,170 (2022: 3,073)
  10. Southampton: 2,541 (2022: 2,660)
  11. Slough: 2,255 (2022: 2,293)
  12. Portsmouth: 2,147 (2022: 2,140)
  13. Brighton: 2,061 (2022: 2,099)
  14. Reading: 1,975 (2022: 2,077)
  15. Wokingham: 1,668 (2022: 1,672)
  16. West Berkshire: 1,435 (2022: 1,490)
  17. Windsor and Maidenhead: 1,333 (2022: 1,356)
  18. Bracknell Forest: 1,287 (2022: 1,409
  19. Isle of Wight: 919 (2022: 970)

 

South West – 47,564 live births

The South West saw a drop of ~1,500 live births, but this represented the third highest decrease in births (-2.83%).

Bristol saw the biggest decrease in live births (-277), while Gloucestershire saw the greatest, and only increase (+5), over the time period.

  1. Devon: 6,007 (2022: 6,132)
  2. Gloucestershire: 5,839 (2022: 5,834)
  3. Bristol: 4,771 (2022: 5,048)
  4. Somerset: 4,734 (2022: 4,817)
  5. Wiltshire: 4,350 (2022: 4,503)
  6. Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: 4,346 (2022: 4,456)
  7. Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch: 3,109 (2022: 3,332)
  8. South Gloucestershire: 2,907 (2022: 2,925)
  9. Dorset: 2,412 (2022: 2,615)
  10. Swindon: 2,371 (2022: 2,391)
  11. Plymouth: 2,341 (2022: 2,409)
  12. North Somerset: 1,836 (2022: 1,842)
  13. Bath and North East Somerset: 1,581 (2022: 1,633)
  14. Torbay: 960 (2022: 1,010)

 

Wales – 27,374 live births

Compared to their 2022 figure, Wales saw a decrease of around 1000 live births (28,296), a decrease of 3.26%, the second biggest in England and Wales.

Swansea, Caerphilly, Gwynedd and Ceredigion all saw their live birth figures grow from 2022.

The biggest increase in live births was seen in Swansea (+65), while the biggest decrease was seen in Rhondda Cyon Taf (-174).

  1. Cardiff: 3,491 (2022: 3,597)
  2. Rhondda Cynon Taf: 2,126 (2022: 2,300)
  3. Swansea: 2,100 (2022: 2,035)
  4. Newport: 1,827 (2022: 1,901)
  5. Carmarthenshire: 1,591 (2022: 1,620)
  6. Caerphilly: 1,584 (2022: 1,559)
  7. Flintshire: 1,343 (2022: 1,420)
  8. Bridgend: 1,294 (2022: 1,337)
  9. Wrexham: 1,237 (2022: 1,249)
  10. Neath Port Talbot: 1,217 (2022: 1,299)
  11. Vale of Glamorgan: 1,139 (2022: 1,204)
  12. Gwynedd: 998 (2022: 997)
  13. Powys: 945 (2022: 990)
  14. Pembrokeshire: 945 (2022: 980)
  15. Torfaen: 922 (2022: 948)
  16. Conwy: 867 (2022: 926)
  17. Denbighshire: 814 (2022: 870)
  18. Monmouthshire: 715 (2022: 742)
  19. Blaenau Gwent: 666 (2022: 670)
  20. Merthyr Tydfil: 566 (2022: 610)
  21. Ceredigion: 501 (2022: 477)
  22. Isle of Anglesey: 486 (2022: 565)

 

Which council saw the biggest rise in live births?

A total of 34 authorities saw their live births grow between 2022 and 2023 across England and Wales.

In terms of increasing by the most live births, Central Bedfordshire saw 193 new arrivals, closely followed by Bradford (178) and Luton (160).

  1. Central Bedfordshire: 193
  2. Bradford: 178
  3. Luton: 160
  4. Leicester: 116
  5. Wandsworth: 112
  6. Bedford: 100
  7. Milton Keynes: 97
  8. Wolverhampton: 84
  9. West Northamptonshire: 73
  10. Croydon: 67

 

Authorities in England and Wales that increased their live births in 2023 from 2022 bar chart

 

In terms of percentage increase to their 2022 value, Central Bedfordshire came out on top again with a 5.7% increase, followed by Ceredigion (5.03%) and Bedford (5.01%).

  1. Central Bedfordshire: 5.7%
  2. Ceredigion: 5.03%
  3. Bedford: 5.01%
  4. Luton: 4.84%
  5. Hartlepool: 4.49%
  6. Swansea: 3.19%
  7. Milton Keynes: 3.16%
  8. Wandsworth: 2.94%
  9. Bradford: 2.66%
  10. Leicester: 2.65%

 

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