Europe & Central Asia · GB
Generation Alpha & Beta
in United Kingdom
How many of each cohort United Kingdom has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
United Kingdom has approximately 12 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 17.1% of its population, and roughly 1.2 million Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 1.44 and its child population is shrinking, projected -9% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at United Kingdom's own rate, less infant mortality. At 1,781 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 17.1% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 1,781 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Smaller than the Alpha cohort of 12 million.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−9%)
United Kingdom against the world average
Key dates for United Kingdom
12 compulsory years from age 4.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach United Kingdom's starting age of 4.
Under-15s change by −9% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow United Kingdom's own starting age of 4 and 12 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Social media age law in United Kingdom
Announced: Social media to be blocked for under-16s (minimum age 16). Announced 15 June 2026; regulations due by the end of 2026; first rules expected in spring 2027.
Source: GOV.UK, checked 16 October 2026. Every country's rule: social media age laws by country.
Every figure on this page
United Kingdom in 20 numbers
| Indicator | United Kingdom | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 70.0 million | — | #21 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 12 million | — | #32 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 17.1% | — | #139 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 9 million | — | #45 of 194 |
| Births per year | 650,000 | — | #44 of 194 |
| Births per day | 1,781 | — | #44 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 17% | 25% | #134 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.44 | 2.2 | #149 of 194 |
| Median age | 41 years | 31 years | #38 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81 years | 73 years | #38 of 194 |
| Urban population | 84% | 58% | #40 of 194 |
| Internet use | 97% | 68% | #15 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 91% | 60% | #74 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 4 | — | #193 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 12 years | — | #30 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | 4.5 hours | — | #4 of 42 |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | $260k | — | #5 of 61 |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −9% | — | #105 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 26 per 100 adults | — | #128 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 118 | — | #87 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
United Kingdom birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 688,400 babies were born in the United Kingdom in 2023, and women had 1.56 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 1964 at about 999,400. Fertility first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1973. Annual births are 1% higher than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 817,300 | 2.22 |
| 1960 | 910,600 | 2.70 |
| 1970 | 896,300 | 2.42 |
| 1980 | 750,000 | 1.89 |
| 1990 | 797,600 | 1.83 |
| 2000 | 684,600 | 1.64 |
| 2010 | 812,000 | 1.92 |
| 2015 | 779,200 | 1.80 |
| 2020 | 687,300 | 1.57 |
| 2021 | 693,000 | 1.58 |
| 2022 | 688,600 | 1.56 |
| 2023 | 688,400 | 1.56 |
| 2025 projected | 680,100 | 1.54 |
| 2030 projected | 678,600 | 1.52 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in Europe & Central Asia
Russia
26 million Generation Alpha
Germany
12 million Generation Alpha
France
12 million Generation Alpha
Italy
7 million Generation Alpha
Spain
6 million Generation Alpha
Ukraine
6 million Generation Alpha
Uzbekistan
11.8 million Generation Alpha
Poland
6 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with United Kingdom's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about United Kingdom
How many Gen Alpha are there in United Kingdom?
Approximately 12 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in United Kingdom, about 17.1% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in United Kingdom?
Roughly 1.2 million children have been born in United Kingdom since 1 January 2025, growing by about 74 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in United Kingdom?
United Kingdom has a total fertility rate of 1.44 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in United Kingdom?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 4 in United Kingdom, and runs for 12 years.
Is the child population in United Kingdom growing or shrinking?
It is shrinking. The under-15 population is projected to change by -9% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in the United Kingdom each year?
About 688,400 in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 999,400 in 1964 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 678,600 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in the United Kingdom changed over time?
It was 2.22 children per woman in 1950 and 1.56 in 2023. It first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1973.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in United Kingdom. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/united-kingdom
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.