ONS Birth Statistics updated

The latest information by the Office for National Statistics relating to birth characteristics in England and Wales for 2021 has been published.

2021 was the first year that births registered outside of a marriage or civil partnership outnumbered the births registered within a marriage or civil partnership. By way of detail, there were 624,828 live births in 2021, of which 320,713 (51.3%) were registered to women outside of a marriage or civil partnership.

The figures also reveal the average age of mothers who gave birth in England and Wales increased to 30.9 years, while the average age of fathers remained at 33.7 years.

These figures also align with the marriage rate falling as more couples cohabit (live together) rather than marry or form a civil partnership. The laws relating to the provision for parent and child on the breakdown of a relationship are vastly different depending on whether the parents are married or not. To know your rights, speak to one of our family solicitors to find out more.

Katherine Parker is a solicitor in the Family Department at Barker Gotelee Solicitors in Ipswich.

Suffolk Family Solicitors – for more information on our range of legal services, please call the team on 01473 611211 or email [email protected]

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Please note that the law may have changed since this article was published.