Polish mothers have more children once they come to Britain: Birth rate among migrants is two third higher here than in their homeland



Total fertility rate - average number of children they can expect to have - for Romanian women in England and Wales is 2.93



Among women in Romania it is only 1.25, and 1.84 for UK-born mothers

One in four babies is born to mothers born overseas



Birth rates among Polish women rise by two thirds when they move to Britain, official figures showed yesterday.

Those who migrated here after 2004 have an average of 2.13 children compared with the 1.30 level seen in their native land.

Romanians have enjoyed an even bigger baby boom – producing 2.93 children in Britain but only 1.25 back home.



New figures from the Office for National Statistics shows women from Romania have the highest fertility rates in England and Wales

The women may have been playing ‘catch-up’ after delaying pregnancy ahead of emigrating, the Office for National Statistics said. But higher income – whether in wages or benefits – and better schools and living conditions in Britain, may also have encouraged the extra births, the agency added.

Its report on childbearing rates among British-born and foreign mothers suggests that the immigrants likely to come from Romania and Bulgaria following the lifting of labour market restrictions in January will push up the UK population with their offspring.

UK-born women in England and Wales have an average of 1.84 children in a lifetime

The ONS report, based on 2011 and 2001 British census findings, and records held by the EU statistics arm Eurostat, aimed to throw light on why birth rates among migrants are much higher than for their counterparts born in this country.

The overall fertility rate of women born in Britain was 1.84 in 2011 – up 18 per cent since 2001. Among foreign-born women, it was 20 per cent higher, at 2.21 births.

The 2011 census recorded a 3.7million population increase in England and Wales over the decade, around two thirds of it brought about by immigration and high birth rates among migrant mothers.



‘Fertility rates in Poland and Lithuania were very low, as in much of Southern and Eastern Europe,’ the ONS said. ‘But the fertility rate of women born in these countries living in England and Wales was relatively high, above that of UK-born women.’

The report said this meant migration was altering the childbearing rate of Eastern European women, or that women who migrate are different from those who stay at home. Another explanation was that ‘conditions were better in England and Wales for childbearing than in Poland or Lithuania’.

The report pointed to the catch-up effect, adding: ‘If the support – financial, social, educational – for childbearing and family life is better or worse in England than in the population’s country of origin, this may have an effect on the number of children they choose to have.’

Poland, Pakistan and India top the league table of countries by number of births

Fertility rates among migrants were highest among mothers from Africa and lowest among those from Australia and New Zealand, the ONS said.

There were also low fertility rates among migrants from China, South Korea, Singapore and Germany, where some British women who are now having children were born as daughters of British service families.

Women from Singapore showed fertility rates of 1.1, whereas mothers from other parts of Asia were much more prolific. The birth rate among women from Pakistan was 3.82 and from Afghanistan 4.25.