London, July 22 (IANS) Almost a quarter of babies in Britain are born to immigrant mothers, mostly from India, Pakistan and Poland.
The numbers of babies whose mothers were born abroad went up by around 3,500 in 2009, from 170,834 to 174,400. The three most common countries of origin of foreign-born mothers are India, Pakistan and Poland, the Daily Mail reported, citing a statement by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In London, around half of babies have foreign-born mothers. And in some London outskirts, around three quarters of children have mothers who were born abroad.
The number of children born to mothers from outside Britain has been growing fast in recent years as immigration has reached record levels.
In 1998, there were 86,456 babies born to mothers born abroad. Over a period of 10 years, the share of babies with foreign-born mothers rose from 13.6 percent to 24.7 percent, according to the ONS.
The ONS also said women born in Britain average 1.84 children each during their lifetime, while women who came from abroad will have 2.51 children during their lives.
Immigration and higher birthrates were the biggest factor in pushing up the population rate. The British population will hit the 70 million mark in 2029, the ONS said.
