Birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Birth rate vs. death rate was 10.02 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
10.02 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
168th
of 236 countries
All-time high
18.5 births per 1,000 people
in 1964
All-time low
10.02 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 10.02 births per 1,000 people for birth rate vs. death rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 17.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom peaked at 18.5 births per 1,000 people in 1964 and was at its lowest, 10.02 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
United Kingdom ranks 168th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 16.31 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 15.82 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1952 | 15.69 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1953 | 15.66 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1954 | 15.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1955 | 15.5 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 15.92 births per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1957 | 16.34 births per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 1958 | 16.63 births per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 16.83 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 17.33 births per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 1961 | 17.77 births per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 1962 | 18.19 births per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 18.44 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 18.5 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 18.19 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 17.8 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1967 | 17.35 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1968 | 16.95 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1969 | 16.5 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1970 | 16.1 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1971 | 15.69 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1972 | 14.73 births per 1,000 people | -6.1% |
| 1973 | 13.84 births per 1,000 people | -6.0% |
| 1974 | 13.09 births per 1,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1975 | 12.39 births per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1976 | 11.98 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1977 | 11.71 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 12.22 births per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 13.02 births per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 13.32 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1981 | 12.93 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1982 | 12.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 12.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 12.9 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1985 | 13.2 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1986 | 13.29 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1987 | 13.59 births per 1,000 people | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 13.72 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 13.64 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 13.9 births per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 13.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 13.57 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 13.17 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 12.93 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 12.62 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 12.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 12.47 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 12.27 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 11.96 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2000 | 11.59 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2001 | 11.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 11.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 11.73 births per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 11.98 births per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 12.03 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 12.36 births per 1,000 people | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 12.65 births per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 12.89 births per 1,000 people | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 12.76 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 12.89 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 12.83 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 12.2 births per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2014 | 12.02 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 11.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 11.78 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 11.41 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 10.98 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 10.64 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2020 | 10.2 births per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 2021 | 10.24 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 10.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 10.02 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 10.02 births per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.6 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 10.02 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.31 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 16.02 births per 1,000 people | 15.5 births per 1,000 people | 16.83 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 17.7 births per 1,000 people | 16.5 births per 1,000 people | 18.5 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.48 births per 1,000 people | 11.71 births per 1,000 people | 16.1 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 13.21 births per 1,000 people | 12.77 births per 1,000 people | 13.72 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.93 births per 1,000 people | 11.96 births per 1,000 people | 13.9 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.08 births per 1,000 people | 11.37 births per 1,000 people | 12.89 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.94 births per 1,000 people | 10.64 births per 1,000 people | 12.89 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.14 births per 1,000 people | 10.02 births per 1,000 people | 10.24 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 165 Albania 10.24 births per 1,000 people compare
- 166 Kuwait 10.2 births per 1,000 people compare
- 167 Costa Rica 10.18 births per 1,000 people compare
- 169 Qatar 9.91 births per 1,000 people compare
- 170 Uruguay 9.87 births per 1,000 people compare
- 171 United Arab Emirates 9.77 births per 1,000 people compare
More health data for United Kingdom
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.71 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.0265 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 461 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.7128 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0247 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.7724 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0261 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom?
- Birth rate vs. death rate in United Kingdom was 10.02 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 18.5 births per 1,000 people in 1964.
- What is the lowest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.02 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does United Kingdom rank for birth rate vs. death rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 168th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate vs. death rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate vs. death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.