Proportion of women giving birth at home falls to 15-YEAR low as more opt for hospital deliveries

  • Home births are at their lowest level since 2001, according to the latest figures
  • Just 2.1 per cent of the 696,000 births in 2016 happened at home, the ONS said
  • Figures suggest the trend for staying in familiar surroundings coming to an end

Home births have fallen to their lowest level in 15 years as women appear to be opting for hospital deliveries.

Just 2.1 per cent of the 696,271 babies born in England and Wales last year were at home, according to official figures.

The findings suggest the trend for staying in familiar surroundings - which saw the rate rise to 2.9 per cent in 2008 - has might have come to an end.

The last time the figure was this low was in 2001.

Just 2.1 per cent of the 696,271 babies born in England and Wales last year were at home, according to official figures

Just 2.1 per cent of the 696,271 babies born in England and Wales last year were at home, according to official figures

When records began in the 1960s, almost a third of babies were born at home.

But the level slumped dramatically over the following decade, and in the 1980s reached a low of around one in every 100 babies.

The rate drifted back upwards to 2.9 per cent by 2008, but by 2015 had slipped again to 2.3 per cent and dropped again last year.

Just 14,793 women gave birth at home, compared to more than 672,000 who were at NHS or private establishments.

However, 1,297 were listed as giving birth 'elsewhere' - suggesting they were at an unexpected location.

The new ONS birth statistics show that women aged 35 to 39 were most likely to give birth at home while women aged under 20 were least likely.

The figures also show regional differences - women in Wales were more likely to have a home birth compared with women in England.

The rate was highest in the south west of England and lowest in the North East.

In 2016, the stillbirth rate for England and Wales fell to 4.4 per 1,000 total births - the lowest rate since 1992 when it was 4.3.

Some 10,951 mothers had a multiple birth in 2016 - but this data includes both live births and still births.

Of these, 10,786 women had twins, 160 had triplets and five women had quadruplets or above.

Just 14,793 women gave birth at home last year, compared to more than 672,000 who were at NHS or private establishments

Just 14,793 women gave birth at home last year, compared to more than 672,000 who were at NHS or private establishments

For every 1,000 women who gave birth, 15.9 had a multiple birth - a slight fall from 2015 when the rate was 16.1 per every 1,000 births.

Women aged 45 and over were most likely to have a multiple birth, the ONS said.

ONS statistician Nicola Haines said: “The proportion of women having multiple births in 2016 decreased slightly compared with 2015. This decrease was driven by women aged 30 and over, particularly those aged 45 and over where the proportion of women having multiple births decreased by 15%.

“Since 1993, women aged 45 and over have consistently had the highest proportion of multiple births - partly due to higher levels of assisted fertility treatments at these ages.”

 

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