For the first time since records began babies born to mothers who are unmarried or not in a civil partnership overtook those who were new data shows.

There were 624,828 live births registered in England and Wales in 2021, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

This includes 320,713 live births to women who were not married or in a civil partnership when they gave birth – 51.3% of the total – compared to 304,115 live births to parents who were married or civilly partnered.

It is the first time since records began in 1845 that more babies were born to mothers who were not in marriages or civil partnerships, the data shows.

Dr James Tucker, head of health analysis at the ONS, said: “The number of live births registered outside marriage or civil partnership exceeded the number of births registered within marriage for the first time in 2021.

Bracknell News: The data applied to births in England and Wales in 2021 (PA)The data applied to births in England and Wales in 2021 (PA) (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

“This follows the long-term trend of declining marriage rates and increasing numbers of cohabiting couples seen in recent decades.

“However, caution should be taken in interpreting today’s numbers as we don’t yet know the full impact of the pandemic on marriage and civil partnership statistics.”

What else did the data show?

The figures also show the fertility rate rose for the first time since 2012 – to 1.61 children per woman in 2021 from 1.58 in 2020.

This is the average number of live children that a woman would bear if they experienced the age-specific fertility rates of 2021 throughout their childbearing years.

The 624,828 live births registered in 2021 was a rise of 1.8% from 2020.

It is the first annual increase in live births since 2015, although this remains below the number of births registered in 2019.

And the latest year “remains in line” with the long-term trend of falling live births since before the coronavirus pandemic, the ONS said.

The ONS figures are based on birth registrations, and delays mean some births in 2021 may not be covered.

It follows provisional data, based on NHS births notifications data, published by the ONS in March.