Jersey’s falling birth rate is a “ticking bomb” for the island, according to housing minister Deputy Sam Mézec. The number of births in Jersey fell by 20% between 2021 and 2024, compared to a 5% drop in England and Wales. The birth rate in the first half of 2025 was 4% lower than the first half of 2024. Mézec attributes the decline to the difficulty of finding affordable housing, which is deterring young families from having children. He warns that if the trend continues, Jersey will face problems due to a lack of working population to support the young and retired.
Mark Boleat, a senior advisor at the Policy Centre Jersey, notes that smaller communities like Jersey are more vulnerable to falling birth rates. Parents in Jersey cite the high cost of living as a major factor in their decision to have fewer children. Some parents, like Bobby Yordanov, are considering leaving the island due to the unbearable cost of raising a family.
However, environmentalist Nigel Jones argues that the declining birth rate is not necessarily a bad thing, citing the worldwide trend of lower birth rates with higher education levels. He suggests that Jersey can attract people from other places to work and support the island’s population. Mézec emphasizes the need for policies to support younger people into family-sized homes to reverse the trend and ensure a sustainable working population for the future.
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