Conception rate in England and Wales by age 2021

In England and Wales in 2021, the conception rate among women aged between 30 and 34 years was approximately 116.2 per 1,000 women, meaning this age group has the highest rate of conceptions. Slightly lower was the rate of conceptions among 25 to 29 year olds at 113.6 conceptions per 1,000 women, while there were 78.9 conceptions per 1,000 women aged between 20 and 24 years of age.

Trends in teenage conceptions

The rate of teenage pregnancies has declined sharply in the last ten years. In 2008, the conception rate among teenagers was approximately 60 per 1,000, by 2019 this rate has dropped to 30.5 as displayed above. While the number of teenage pregnancies has dropped in England and Wales, the share of pregnant teenagers getting abortions has increased. The share of teenage conceptions ending in abortion has increased from 42 percent to 50 percent in the last 10 years. Teenagers are the most likely age group in England and Wales to go through an abortion after a pregnancy.

Birth rate trends in the UK

In 2019, the birth rate in the UK was 10.7 births per 1,000 population, the lowest birth rate in the country since 2002. The average age at which a mother gives birth in the UK has also increased alongside the drop in birth rate. In 2000, the average age of a mother giving birth in the UK was 28.5, by 2019 it was 30.7.

Conception rate in England and Wales from 1990 to 2021, by age group (rate per 1,000 women)

Characteristic	Under 16	Under 18	Under 20	20-24	25-29	30-34	35-39	Over 40
1990	9.5	47.7	68	124	138	89.7	33.6	6.6
1991	8.9	44.6	64.1	120.2	135.1	90.1	34.4	6.6
1992	8.4	43.5	61.9	113.9	132	90.1	35.2	6.9
1993	8.1	42.4	59.7	110.5	131.7	92.5	36.6	7.4
1994	8.3	41.9	58.7	107.3	128.3	92.1	37.6	7.6
1995	8.6	41.9	58.7	105.8	124.8	92.8	38.1	7.9
1996	9.5	46.3	63.2	110.1	127.6	96.3	40.7	8.4
1997	8.9	45.9	62.6	107.2	124.7	96.2	41.4	8.7
1998	9	47.1	65.1	107.7	122.2	96.8	42.4	8.9
1999	8.3	45.1	63.1	103.9	118	95.3	42.9	9.1
2000	8.3	43.9	62.5	103.2	115.7	95.3	43.2	9.4
2001	8	42.7	60.8	102.5	114.2	96.7	44.3	9.6
2002	7.9	43	60.6	103.7	118.6	101.6	47	10.3
2003	8	42.3	59.9	106	121.3	105.9	49.1	10.7
2004	7.5	41.8	60.4	107.5	123.7	109.2	51	11.3
2005	7.8	41.6	60.2	107	123.4	111.1	53.1	11.5
2006	7.7	40.8	60.2	107.9	126.1	116	56	12.2
2007	8.1	41.6	61.4	110.3	128.7	119.3	57.8	12.6
2008	7.6	39.9	59.5	108.2	127	118.2	57.5	12.6
2009	7.2	37.2	56.2	108.4	127.8	121	59.3	12.8
2010	6.8	34.3	52.9	108.8	129.3	123.4	61.5	13.4
2011	6.1	30.9	48.9	106.1	129.3	124.9	62.8	13.9
2012	5.6	27.9	44.2	100.3	127.3	122	63.4	14
2013	4.9	24.5	40.5	96	126.7	121.6	64.5	14.2
2014	4.4	22.9	37.9	92.8	126.8	122.9	66	14.5
2015	3.8	21	36.2	90.4	127.1	124.9	68.3	15.1
2016	3.1	18.9	34.3	87.8	124.5	123.4	67.9	15.4
2017	2.7	17.9	33	85.7	120.6	121.9	67	15.8
2018	2.5	16.8	32.1	84	118.8	121.6	66	16.3
2019	2.5	15.8	30.5	81.2	116.2	119.4	65.2	16.7
2020	2.1	13.1	26.3	77.8	115.5	123.9	66.7	17.1
2021	2.1	13.2	26.1	78.9	113.6	116.2	65.1	17.3