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Nearly half of UK adults aged 18 to 50 do not intend to have children, and the birth rate is expected to fall, as per a new study.

Ipsos found that 46% of those polled had decided against having any more children or had no plans to have any more.

More than half of those polled stated it was for financial reasons. Two-thirds cited "personal reasons," such as being too young or old or being intimidated by the prospect.

The birth rate in the United Kingdom has plummeted to 1.61 children per woman, down from 1.94 a decade earlier. According to experts, the population will peak at 71 million in the 2040s before falling to 57 million by 2100, a level last seen in 1989.

The dropping rate will leave Britain with an aging population, raising concerns about the increased strain on the NHS and care system as well as a slowing of economic growth.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, feel that a smaller population will reduce carbon emissions and improve quality of life, and that holes in the labor market will be filled by robots and computers.

62 percent of adults polled said that lowering or eliminating the cost of childcare would encourage people to have more children.

According to a survey conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, childcare in the United Kingdom is more expensive than virtually everywhere else in the developed world, costing more than half of the average parent's salary. It is significantly below 20% in most European countries.

The UK is not the only country with a declining birth rate. Fertility is declining in much of the developed world, with South Korea having the lowest rate of 0.81 children per woman.

France, on the other hand, has a substantially higher rate than most other wealthy countries, with approximately 1.8 children per woman. Experts believe this is because the country provides more parental leave and a low-cost childcare system.

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