Katie Melua, 38, feared she would never have a family - two months after ... trends now

Katie Melua, 38, feared she would never have a family - two months after ... trends now
Katie Melua, 38, feared she would never have a family - two months after ... trends now

Katie Melua, 38, feared she would never have a family - two months after ... trends now

Most women in England and Wales no longer have a child before they are 30, official figures show for the first time. 

An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report found 50.1 per cent of women born in 1990 were childless by their 30th birthday.

It is the first time there has been more childless women than mothers below the age of 30 since records dating back to 1920 began.

A third of women born in that decade had not mothered a child by the age of 30, for comparison.

Women born in the 1940s were the most likely to have had at least one child by that milestone (82 per cent).

But there has been a long-term trend of people opting to have children later in life and reduce family size ever since, the ONS said.  

The most common age to have a child is now 31, the ONS estimates based on latest data, compared to 22 among baby boomers born in the late 1940s. 

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show 53 per cent of women born in 1991 were childless by their 30th birthday last year. Graph shows: The proportion of women childless at the age of 30 by their date of birth

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show 53 per cent of women born in 1991 were childless by their 30th birthday last year. Graph shows: The proportion of women childless at the age of 30 by their date of birth

The ONS data also shows the average number of children a woman has had by the age of 30 has been dropping since 1971, when it stood at 1.89

The ONS data also shows the average number of children a woman has had by the age of 30 has been dropping since 1971, when it stood at 1.89

The share of women reaching 30 without a child has been increasing consistently since the late 70s, when around a fifth were childless.

That proportion rose dramatically the

read more from dailymail.....

PREV Brooklyn Beckham is spotted going for a cruise in LA driving a custom retro ... trends now
NEXT Abbie Chatfield shows off her toned figure in a skimpy pink houndstooth bikini ... trends now