New ONS data presents childbearing figures for women born in different years, England and Wales

A new report released by the Office for National Statistics shows the changing composition of families over time, comparing women of the same age in different decades, and the children they have had.

The main points of the research are summarised below:

• The average completed family size for women born in 1971, and reaching age 45 years in 2016, was 1.90 children per woman, the lowest level recorded

• The level of childlessness among women born in 1971 (18%) was higher than for women born in 1944 (11%)

• The most common number of children for women born in 1971 was two children

• For women born in 1971, around one in ten had four or more children this compared with around one in eight for women born in 1944

• Only 6% of women born in 1996 had at least one child before their 20th birthday, matching levels seen for cohorts in the 1920s

A spokesperson for the Office for National Statistics said: 'Women born in 1971 who completed their childbearing in 2016 had an average 1.90 children per woman, fewer than their mothers' generation (born 1944) who had 2.21 children, and the lowest level on record. Childlessness was higher for the 1971 cohort (18%) than for the 1944 cohort (11%), which is one of the main drivers of falling completed family sizes by the end of childbearing.'

View the full report on the ONS website.

(image copyright Betsyin NE)