Trend suggests most babies will be born out of marriage
Date published: 11 July 2013
The majority of babies born in three years' time will have parents who are not married, official figures suggest.
The proportion of children born out of wedlock rose in 2012 for the 40th consecutive year to 47.5%. By 2016 it is expected to rise to more than 50%.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics go back to 1938 when just 4% of babies had unmarried parents.
The proportion of couples that are married has now fallen below 50% according to the 2011 census - the first time since 1801 (when figures were first collected) that they have been in a minority.
There were 729,674 babies born in 2012 - up from 723,913 the previous year.
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