• The General Fertility Rate (GFR) is the total number of live births in a year per 1,000 women of reproductive age, which for these figures is defined as 15 to 44.

• The Dudley GFR closely followed the England rate between 2001 and 2011, with both showing an increase in fertility.

• In 2012 the rate in Dudley increased to 67.7 live births per 1,000 women, taking it above the England rate of 64.9, and has remained higher every year since.

• Over the last two years rates for both Dudley and England have fallen, with the latest figures from 2018 being 62.7 and 59.2 respectively.

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• GFR by age of mother shows the highest fertility rates are in the age groups 25 to 29 years and 30 to 34 years.

• The lowest fertility rates are in the age groups 40 to 44 years.

• In the age groups under 20 and 20 to 24 the rates indicate a decreasing trend in fertility.

• It can be seen that rates in younger ages are decreasing and in older ages are increasing.

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