The London borough with one of England's lowest fertility rates

Tiphanie Frutuoso and her husband had their first baby this year and are moving out of London back to Luxembourg, partly because childcare is free

Islington seems, on the surface, a family-friendly area. Parents push buggies through quiet leafy side streets of this popular neighbourhood that is also within easy reach of central London.

But this north London borough has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country and mothers are older on average here than in most other parts of the capital.

Islington is a snapshot of a trend also playing out not only in inner London but also other parts of the world.

The situation has been described by the London Assembly as an "existential challenge" for the city as a whole, so what are the reasons behind this and what can be done about it?

Keen to find out more about family life in Islington, I joined a Zip-Zap baby music class to speak to parents.

Tiphanie Frutuoso and her husband had their first baby this year.

"My husband and I have a one-bedroom flat – a two-bedroom is super expensive.

"Childcare is £2,000-£3,000 a month."

They are moving back to Luxembourg, partly because childcare is free.

"It's really sad because we love London. We have better job opportunities here," Frutuoso added.

Tina Meschino had her first child at 41 as she wanted to get to an executive level first

Tina Meschino had her first child at 41.

"I've always been career-driven. I moved to London from Australia for career opportunities.

"It's taken a while to get to where I want to be – an executive position – which felt like the right time to start a family."

But she added that it was very difficult to find a suitable home with enough space, within budget.

Samantha Nagaratnam had her daughter at 35.

"I was moving forward in my career and was really, really focused on that. But nobody tells you how hard it is [to fall pregnant]. It took about three years when we started trying."

Originally from Toronto, she said it was much harder to find a family home in Islington with enough space.

Zip-Zap co-founder Laura Edwards says families are moving out of Islington to other boroughs for better schools, more affordable homes and more space.

"It's going to have huge implications in 40-50 years when there's nobody to do the jobs and support the economy."

'My living room is my bedroom'

Some families have told me they have decided to stay in the borough but it is proving to be really difficult.

Father-of-two Patrick Penny-Annang has lived in Islington all his life and now shares a one-bedroom flat with his family.

"Our living room becomes our bedroom... our one bed becomes the kids' room," he said.

"Islington is a lovely area to live in but because of that it's really expensive.

"Schools have been closing, schools that I used to go to."

Patrick Penny-Annang sleeps in the living room with his wife because they can't afford a two bedroom flat

Between 2013 and 2023, London's population of 0–9-year-olds fell by 99,100, despite the capital's overall population growing by 506,000. The decline, external has been steeper in inner than outer London.

"It's an existential challenge for London," says Bassam Mahfouz, chairman of the London Assembly's Economy, Culture and Skills Committee.

Bassam Mahfouz says London needs to treat falling numbers of children as an "emergency"

His committee's recent report, external recommends pursuing UNICEF Child Friendly City status, external, introducing child-friendly housing standards, and mapping play and recreation spaces across boroughs.

"We need to tackle this as an absolute emergency.

"What's happening in Islington is happening right across London," he said, warning the trend threatens the city's workforce.

He is urging the government and the mayor to "redouble their efforts" to ensure "children are growing up in every postcode".

'Gut instinct' not to have kids

The fertility rate measures the number of children born per woman of childbearing age, external.

At 0.99, Islington has the second-lowest total fertility rate, external in the capital after the City of London, and one of the lowest in England.

To put it in perspective, the estimated number of children born per woman fell to just under 1.4 for England and Wales in 2025, down from 1.9 in 2010.

BBC England's data unit analysed some of the factors that may be contributing to Islington's low rate:

Young women leaving: In 2025, Islington recorded a net loss of 1,062 women aged 30-34, one of the biggest declines for that age group in the country