One in five millennials say climate crisis is stopping them from having children

Worries over the and how extreme weather events will become more frequent are impacting the size of new families, research suggests.

Women in England and Wales had an average of 1.44 children between 2022 and 2023, the lowest rate on record. Only 591,072 babies were born in 2023, fewer than in any year since 1977 and a fall of more than 14,000 on the previous year, figures from the, external showed. The average age of new mums and dads has increased to 33.8 for fathers and 30.9 for mothers.

A new survey found millennials, born up to the mid-1990s, are not having children because of the climate crisis with 20% saying this was the reason stopping them. 43% said it had impacted the decision on how many children they would have for fears of overpopulation.

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The 2024 National Home Energy Survey found many feel that having children may amplify the climate crisis and fear for extreme events their children may have to suffer.

This generation also faces economic uncertainties, including housing affordability and job market instability, which may also influence their family planning decisions.

Natasha Willett, 33, from Epsom, Surrey, said: “It’s hard to look at the today and not feel a deep sense of responsibility for what future generations will face. The idea of bringing a child into a world of rising sea levels, food shortages, and environmental collapse weighs heavily on me.“

“It’s not just an abstract issue - it feels very real when you think about the kind of life your children might have. I want to be sure I’m not contributing to a future I’m not certain I can promise will be safe. And, like many others, the soaring cost of living and economic challenges make it even harder to justify starting a family.”

She added: “The decision to have children used to be simpler for previous generations, but for us, it's tied to a much broader, more unsettling picture of what the world will look like in the coming decades. It feels like we’re being forced to choose between personal dreams and global responsibility.”

Roland Ellison, from Eco Experts, who conducted the study, said:“As the birth rates around the world continue to decline, it’s perhaps not surprising that Gen Z and Millennials in the UK are increasingly choosing to reduce the planned size of their families, or deciding not to have kids at all.

“Climate change is a gloomy outlook for the future and our findings show it is a driver behind people considering having fewer children. We must not forget that many are being priced out of the housing market and facing a tough job market with low wage growth. This ultimately makes taking on the extra responsibility of dependents a less attractive proposition.

“It’s not just a UK trend, the global Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has shockingly halved over the past 70 years to 2.2 children per woman.”