Key points from article :
Social Market Foundation (SMF) said the birthrate was almost half compared to postwar peak in the 1960s.
Country’s ageing population could lead to economic decline.
Ministers should set up a cross-government taskforce to consider the issue
One helpful measure might be better childcare provision.
Typical British working parents spend 22% of their income on full-time childcare.
The birthrate in England and Wales peaked in 1964 when the number of children per woman averaged 2.93.
“Pronatalism” is the policy or practice of encouraging the bearing of children.
According to these projections, by 2050 a quarter of Britons will be over 65, up from a fifth today.
Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, the chief economist at the SMF says “try to increase the birthrate is clearly a sensitive topic that must be delicately handled".
Alarming fall in fertility rates, and the risks that population ageing poses to our social and economic wellbeing.
