Public Health Liverpool

Start well

What happens in pregnancy and early childhood impacts on physical and emotional health all the way through to adulthood. Every child in Liverpool should be given the best start in life, with the crucial period starting from pregnancy to the age of two.

According to the latest population estimates there are 114,300 children and young people in Liverpool (aged 0-19 years) with 26,400 aged under 5 years. Children and young people account for 23% of the population of Liverpool with a fairly equal distribution of males and females (50.5% males and 49.5% females).

Key facts

  • In 2023, there were 4,906 live births in Liverpool (ONS, 2025). This means there were 740 fewer births to Liverpool mothers than a decade ago.
  • In Liverpool there are around 26 infant deaths (under 1 year) every year. There were 5.1 infant deaths per thousand live births in 2021 - 23, which was significantly worse than the England rate (4.1 per 1,000).
  • Some 2.5% of live births at term in 2022 had a low birthweight (defined as weighing under 2,500g), which was in line with 2.9% reported nationally.
  • The smoking rate for pregnant women at the time of birth is significantly decreasing. 7.5% of mothers in 2023/24 were known to be smokers at the time of delivery of their baby, in line with nationally (7.4%).
  • In Liverpool around 72.3% of babies have breast milk as their first feed while 46.8% are still breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks (England reports figures of 71.9% and 52.7% respectively).
  • Uptake of routine children’s vaccinations in Liverpool is decreasing with coverage in 2023/24 significantly below national benchmarks.
  • In 2023/24 some 86.1% of two-year-olds in the city had received the ‘6-in-1 vaccine’ (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and hepatitis B) while some 73.4% of 5-year-olds had received two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR)  vaccination. England reports figures of 92.4% and 83.9% respectively.
  • In 2024, 1 in 3 (33.3%) children have experienced visually obvious dental decay by the age of five, which is 1.5 times higher than England (22.4%).
  • Around 62% of Liverpool children were ready for school at the end of their school reception year in 2024/24, significantly below the national level (67.7%) and the 7th lowest in England.
  • 1 in 4 (26%) children aged 4-5 years were either overweight or obese in 2023/24, which is significantly above the national level of 22.1%.
  • In 2023/24, 77.3% of working age adults with a learning disability were living in their own home, which was significantly lower than nationally (81.6%).

Liverpool information

Liverpool City Region

Cheshire and Merseyside

Joint Maternity Services Needs Assessment Cheshire and Merseyside 2022

Office for Health Improvement and Disparities profiles