The number of babies born in England and Wales has fallen to its lowest level for any calendar half-year in nearly 50 years.
Figures published today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that there were 287,236 live births recorded in the first six months of 2026, a decrease of 2,406 births compared to the first half of 2025, when there were 289,642 live births recorded – and the lowest number for any calendar half-year since 1977.
The latest total is around a fifth below the first half of 2012, when 360,256 live births were recorded, compared with 287,236 in the first half of 2026, a difference of 73,020 (20.27%).
The decline follows a fall in annual births to 585,396 in 2025, which the ONS identified as the lowest annual number since 1977.
Latest abortion numbers highest on record
Tuesday marked the 59th anniversary of the Abortion Act receiving royal assent.
Since then, 11,256,470 unborn babies have lost their lives to abortion across the UK – one baby is lost to abortion every two minutes; 34 lives are ended every hour.
There were 278,740 abortions in England and Wales in 2023 according to statistics released by the Department of Health and Social Care, an increase of 26,618 (10.56%) from 2022. This is the most recent year for which abortion statistics for England and Wales are available.
This was the highest number of abortions ever recorded in England and Wales in a single year.
Almost 1 in 3 conceptions end in abortion
In 2023, 32.1% of all conceptions in England and Wales ended in abortion, rising from 29.69% in 2022.
This is a significant increase since 2012, when 20.84% of conceptions ended in abortion, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics.
This means that the number of conceptions ending in abortion is approaching 1 in 3, whereas in 2012, the number was just over 1 in 5.
More lives likely to be lost after extreme abortion up to birth amendment
Even more lives will likely be lost to abortion after the abortion up to birth amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill became law earlier this year.
This seismic change to the law was passed in the House of Commons after just 46 minutes of backbench debate – there had been no prior consultation with the public, no Committee Stage scrutiny and no evidence sessions.
Tonia Antoniazzi, who introduced the abortion up to birth amendment, said in an interview that she was comfortable with women being able to abort a viable baby at 37 weeks.
This law change means that it is now no longer illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason, including sex-selective purposes, and at any point up to and during birth, likely leading to a significant increase in the number of women performing dangerous late-term abortions at home.
This will likely lead to the lives of many more women being endangered because of the risks involved with ‘DIY’ late-term abortions and also tragically lead to an increased number of viable babies’ lives being ended well beyond the 24-week abortion time limit and beyond the point at which they would be able to survive outside the womb.
The introduction of this extreme abortion amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill provoked a major backlash. 91% of 28,000 respondents to a poll run by The Telegraph said they were opposed to this law change, which has since been introduced.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “The lowest number of live births for the first half of the year in almost half a century should be alarming for anyone with an interest in the future of our nation, and the dramatic decline since 2012 should be of great concern”.
“The most recent year for which abortion statistics are available was 2023, where there were a record high 278,740 abortions in England and Wales”.
“Every one of these lives lost to abortion was a human being whose life had potential, and every one of them deserved protection”.
“We are calling for a national conversation about our abortion laws”.
“Abortion is a sensitive and difficult subject that affects many people. But after the release today of these birth numbers and the most recent abortion figures showing a record number of lives ended by abortion, MPs can no longer ignore what is happening or the steady drift in recent years into extreme laws. It’s time we woke up as a nation and agreed together that it’s time for change”.
“In recent years, our abortion laws have become even more extreme, and safeguards have been relaxed, endangering women and allowing abortions on a scale that goes far beyond what most people are comfortable with or what the law was designed to permit”.
“That almost 300,000 lives have been lost to abortion across the UK in just one year is a clear sign that something has gone very wrong in our society. Having children is essential to the future prosperity of our country. Children are to be prized and celebrated, with full support and compassion offered when pregnancies are unplanned”.
“The Government must urgently bring forward new protections for unborn children and increased support for women with unplanned pregnancies. Polling shows these changes are backed by the public, and this would ensure we are working together as a society to reduce the tragic number of lives that are lost to abortion each year”.
