FOI Reference: FOI/2022/4221
You asked
Under the Freedom of Information Act, can you please let me know the number of still births recorded for each year from 2012 including the year to date?
We said
Thank you for your enquiry
We publish Births and Stillbirth statistics in an annual cycle. We hold the following analysis Births in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk) which provides still births data from 1927 for England and Wales.
| Year | Summary of key birth statistics, 2010 to 2020 | Stillbirth rate (stillbirths per 1,000 live births and stillbirths) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | Total | Male | Female | Within marriage or civil partnership | Outside marriage or civil partnership | |
| 2020 | 2,371 | 1,213 | 1,158 | 1,155 | 1,216 | 3.8 |
| 2019 | 2,522 | 1,258 | 1,264 | 1,192 | 1,330 | 3.9 |
| 2018 | 2,689 | 1,404 | 1,285 | 1,284 | 1,405 | 4.1 |
| 2017 | 2,873 | 1,526 | 1,347 | 1,408 | 1,465 | 4.2 |
| 2016 | 3,112 | 1,552 | 1,560 | 1,522 | 1,590 | 4.4 |
| 2015 | 3,147 | 1,649 | 1,498 | 1,568 | 1,579 | 4.5 |
| 2014 | 3,254 | 1,652 | 1,602 | 1,623 | 1,631 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 3,284 | 1,719 | 1,565 | 1,670 | 1,614 | 4.7 |
| 2012 | 3,558 | 1,884 | 1,674 | 1,788 | 1,770 | 4.9 |
| 2011 | 3,811 | 2,020 | 1,791 | 1,957 | 1,854 | 5.2 |
| 2010 | 3,714 | 1,969 | 1,745 | 1,877 | 1,837 | 5.1 |
Download this table
.xls .csv2021 data
The annual births release covering stillbirths in 2021 is provisionally scheduled for release in August 2022. The ONS usual publication schedule of births statistics and the different sources used for births data are described in the User guide to birth statistics.
As such, this information is considered exempt under Section 22(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, whereby information is exempt from release if there is a view to publish the information in the future. Furthermore, as a central government department and producer of official statistics, we need to have the freedom to be able to determine our own publication timetables. This is to allow us to deal with the necessary preparation, administration and context of publications. It would be unreasonable to consider disclosure when to do so would undermine our functions.
This exemption is subject to a public interest test. We recognise the desirability of information being freely available and this is considered by ONS when publication schedules are set in accordance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. The need for timely data must be balanced against the practicalities of applying statistical skill and judgement to produce the high quality, assured data needed to inform decision-making. If this balance is incorrectly applied, then we run the risk of decisions being based on inaccurate data which is arguably not in the public interest. This will have an impact on public trust in official statistics in a time when accuracy of official statistics is more important to the public than ever before.
2022 data
The annual births release covering stillbirths in 2022 is provisionally scheduled for release in the summer of 2023, however this is not yet confirmed.
If you have any further queries about this information, please contact us via email at Health.Data@ons.gov.uk.