Births to foreign-born women in UK rise by a fifth

LONDON: Births to foreign-born women in England increased by a fifth in a decade, according to an official report.

In 2017, women who were born outside the UK gave birth to around 189,000 babies — 20 per cent more than in 2007. The main change was in the number of births to women from EU countries, with the figure remaining fairly stable for women from outside the EU, the Office for National Statistics said.

It added that the increase in the number of births to non-UK born mothers was driven by a rise in the number of women of childbearing age in the population, rather than the number of children they were having.

Births to UK-born mothers fell by 8 per cent over the same period, from 498,000 to 458,000. This meant that, despite the increasing number of births to non-UK born mothers, the number of children born in England in 2017 was 1 per cent lower than in 2007.

The figures were detailed in an analysis of previously published data relating to international migration and its impact on, and contribution to, the education sector. The “main driver” of changes in the demand for school places is the number of children being born, rather than recent international migration of children, the report said.

It added: “However, international migration affects the number of births, and births to non-UK born mothers have increased over the last 20 years.”

In January 2018, around 7 per cent of children in state-funded primary schools and 10 per cent in state-funded secondary schools in England had been born outside the UK.

According to the ONS, the data is a useful indicator of the impact of people moving to the UK on pupil numbers, but does not give the full picture of international migration as there is no information on children who have left the country.

International migration contributes to the workforce in schools, the report said, citing figures showing that in 2015-17 around one in eight (12 per cent) school staff in England had been born outside the UK.

For primary and nursery school teachers, around 9 per cent were born outside the UK and for secondary school teachers, the figure was around 12 per cent.