The fertility rate of foreign-born women is almost a third higher than that of UK-born women, according to new analysis. And yet, even the foreign-born rate of 2.03 children per woman (compared with 1.54 for UK-born) remains below the replacement rate of 2.1. It has steadily declined from its peak of 2.46 two decades ago. In other words, we cannot rely on immigration to make our population self-sustaining.
For years British policymakers seem to have assumed that high levels of net migration would alleviate our demographic woes. Open our borders, and in would flow young people willing to abandon their own ageing parents in order to care for, and fund, ours. And there would be the added benefit that some would arrive from countries with higher fertility rates.
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