A DECLINE in birth rates in mid and north Wales has continued, figures from the Office for National Statistics has revealed, as concerns over a population decline in the region continue.

While Ceredigion, Powys, and Gwynedd recorded a higher number of births in 2021 than the previous pandemic-hit year of 2020, the figures are still way below those recorded between 2013 and 2019.

The latest figures for Ceredigion show that, in 2021, 536 births were recorded in the county, up from 499 in 2020, but a drop of more than 10 per cent compared with the average number of births per year between 2013 and 2019.

In Gwynedd, 1,039 births were recorded in 2021, slightly up from the 1,026 recorded in 2020, but still down on the average of 1,160 recorded between 2013 and 2019.

The picture is similar in Powys, where 1,054 births were recorded in 2021, up from 1,022 in 2020, but again below the average between 2013 and 2019 of 1,149.

The drop in live births “remains in line with the long-term trend of decreasing live births seen before the coronavirus pandemic”, the ONS said, but comes as concerns, particularly in Ceredigion, of a declining population.

Since the previous census in 2011, Ceredigion’s population size has decreased by 5.8 per cent, from 79,500 in 2011 to 71,500 in 2021.

Those figures include Ceredigion having the biggest fall in Wales in child population, with the county recording a 10.1 per cent decrease in children aged 15 or under.

Out of the 22 local authorities in Wales, Ceredigion is predicted to have the greatest percentage decrease in population during the 2018 to 2043 period.

While Gwynedd’s overall population fell 3.7 per cent between the 2011 and 2021 census, from 121,874 to 117,400, an audit report last year found the county’s population is projected to increase by 5.3 per cent between 2020 and 2040 from 124,670 to 131,314, including a predicted 0.4 per cent increase in the number of children.

Both Gwynedd and Ceredigion population numbers are boosted by inward migration, particularly those aged over 65.

Powys saw a slight rise in population between 2011 and 2021, from 132,976 to 133,200.

The ONS birth figures do not include stillbirths, of which there were two in Powys in 2021 and one each in Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

The new ONS figures also record the total fertility in Gwynedd as 1.4, in Powys at 1.81 and Ceredigion at 1.58.

A Well-Being Assessment report released by Ceredigion County Council earlier in the summer found the county “has experienced a fluctuating population since 2001 and it is estimated to have reduced in each year since its population peaked at 75,900 in mid 2012.”

“The number of deaths has consistently exceeded the number of births each year,” the report said.

The latest Welsh Government projections suggest that the population of Ceredigion will continue to decline over the next 25 years, from 72,895 in 2021 to 68,745 in 2043, a six per cent decrease and an estimated reduction of approximately 4,150 people.

The ONS said that “delays in birth registrations because of the coronavirus pandemic have affected 2020 and 2021 data”.

The data also shows that of the 28,638 births in Wales in 2021, 804 of them were multiple births of more than one baby.

More than half of all babies born in 2021 in Wales were boys, data also shows.

The ONS report found they were 624,828 live births in England and Wales in 2021, an increase of 1.8 per cent from 613,936 in 2020, but still below the 2019 figure (657,076).

The report added: “2021 remains in line with the long-term trend of decreasing live births seen before the coronavirus pandemic.”

The total fertility rate (TFR) increased to 1.61 children per woman in 2021 from 1.58 in 2020. This is the first time TFR has risen since 2012.

While fertility rates increased overall, younger age groups saw declining fertility rates while older age groups saw fertility rates increase.­

Data also showed that in 2021, 34.2 per cent of all children born in England and Wales had either one or both parents born outside the UK; this is a decrease from 34.8 per cent in 2020.

In Wales, the percentage of live births to non-UK-born women increased from 11.8 per cent in 2020 to 12.4 per cent in 2021.

Pakistan remained the most common country of birth for non-UK-born fathers in 2021, data also shows, while Romania was the most common country of birth for non-UK-born mothers, this was up from second in 2020.