'notable' Rise In Dads Over 60 In England And Wales

Babies calved to fathers complete nan property of 60 went up by 14.2% successful 2024 compared pinch nan twelvemonth before, official figures show.

Of 594,677 unrecorded births successful England and Wales past year, 1,076 babies had dads complete 60, according to nan Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Total births successful England successful 2024 roseate somewhat for nan first clip since 2021.

Births wherever 1 aliases some parents were calved extracurricular of nan UK besides accrued successful some England and Wales.

The ONS said nan summation successful nan number of babies calved to older dads was "notable".

A number of celebrities person welcomed children later successful life. Rod Stewart was 65 erstwhile his youngest was born. Robert De Niro was 79 erstwhile his sixth kid was calved and successful October past twelvemonth Al Pacino told nan BBC it was "fun" being a caller dada successful his 80s.

Professor Allan Pacey, an master successful antheral fertility, said investigation shows men complete nan property of 40 are "about half arsenic fertile" arsenic men aged 25, making nan emergence moreover much interesting.

The number of babies calved to parents younger than 30 decreased past year, pursuing nan shape of group waiting longer to commencement a family.

Bucking nan global inclination for declining commencement rates, nan ONS reported a flimsy assistance successful nan number of births successful England.

In 2024, location were 567,708 unrecorded births successful England, an summation of 0.7% compared pinch nan twelvemonth before.

However successful Wales location were 26,832 unrecorded births - a alteration of 2% compared pinch 2023.

Greg Ceely, caput of organization wellness monitoring astatine nan Office for National Statistics, said nan wide number of births successful England and Wales "reverses nan caller trend" of declining births.

"Despite this wide rise, nan number of births to mothers nether 30 fell, arsenic group proceed to put disconnected having children until later successful life.

"The largest alteration is seen amongst those nether 20 years old, which fell by almost 5%," he added.

Rapidly expanding costs of surviving are often cited arsenic a obstruction to having children.

The authorities has besides launched a review of parental time off aft acknowledging that 1 successful 3 dads do not return paternity time off because they cannot spend to.

Angela McConville, main executive astatine childbirth kindness NCT, said: "If authorities is superior astir supporting group to person babies, they must create nan correct conditions for families to thrive.

"That intends entree to safe, personalised maternity and postnatal attraction for everyone, arsenic good arsenic affordable childcare and action connected nan costs of living."

Last period Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced a nationalist investigation into maternity attraction successful England aft a bid of failings.

The ONS figures besides show an summation successful nan number of births to parents calved extracurricular of nan UK successful 2024.

The percent of unrecorded births wherever either 1 aliases some parents were calved extracurricular of nan UK was 40.4% successful England (up from 38.2% successful 2023), and 19.4% successful Wales (up from 17.5% successful 2023).

India remains nan astir predominant state of commencement for non-UK calved mothers and fathers for nan 3rd twelvemonth successful a row.

When it comes to nan timing of babies' births, Boxing Day (26 December) was nan slightest apt day for babies calved past twelvemonth - for nan twelfth twelvemonth successful a row.

The astir communal time for babies to beryllium calved was 23 February.

The astir celebrated time for arrivals was a Tuesday, pinch Saturdays and Sundays nan slightest apt time for a baby's birth.