Skip to Content

Research & Evidence

Data-driven insights that highlight systemic gaps and strengthen our advocacy for safer options and better protection for babies and parents.

 

The data gap

What we can’t reliably measure — and why it matters.

In the UK, there is no single official annual statistic that captures infant abandonment consistently. Different definitions, reporting routes and incomplete recording mean the true scale can be hidden. We share the best available evidence below — and label clearly where figures are estimates.

Outcome risk

33.7%

of abandoned newborns died in one study (compared with 0% of older abandoned babies). (Estimate; published study)

When danger rises

5.2×

higher odds of death when babies are left where they cannot be found quickly. (Estimate; published study)

The reporting gap

—

Without consistent national recording, trends can’t be tracked and the impact of policy changes is harder to evaluate.

Want the full sources list and definitions we use?

Request the evidence pack

Recorded Cases of babies abandoned 

 The data gap is itself the finding: a country that does not count its abandoned new-borns cannot design a lawful pathway for them.

For context: a BBC News Magazine feature (8 December 2005) recorded 49 babies abandoned in the UK in 2004 — a single-year figure, two decades old. Reviews of pregnancy denial estimate roughly 1 in 475 pregnancies unrecognised at 20 weeks, equivalent to ~325 unanticipated births a year in the UK (Duckitt et al., 2023).



BABY VICTORIA


BABY



 ELSA 


BABY



 ELSA 



Tell Us 


Infant Abandonment: What the Evidence Shows

  • Patterns and Risk Factors in Infant Abandonment
  • Reported Infant Abandonment in the UK
  • Definitions, Recording, and Data Limitations

Why This Data Gap Harms Policy

Without published data, there is no evidence base to support legislative reform. Policymakers cannot allocate funding, researchers cannot study trends, and the public cannot hold the government accountable.

BABY-i's Position: Because abandonment is not tracked in official statistics, BABY-i's casework is hoping to build on real-time data available on the scale and nature of infant abandonment in the UK. We are not just filling a care gap we are filling an information gap.
This is why we are campaigning for the ONS to publish annual abandoned baby figures, that includes mandatory data collection and public reporting.

BABY-i Policy Position, 2026

What the ONS Publishes (and What It Excludes)

The ONS publishes comprehensive data on live births, stillbirths, fertility rates, and maternity demographics, but abandoned babies are explicitly excluded from all published datasets.

Coverage Rule:  Birth statistics cover births occurring in England and Wales. Births to residents that occur outside England and Wales are excluded and abandoned babies are shunted to a separate register entirely.
The only official statement on abandonment is that cases have been "extremely low since 2005." To get actual figures, researchers must submit a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the General Register Office directly.

ONS User Guide, Section 4.5  Abandoned Children

Britain needs a lawful bridge between crisis and care.

BABY-I exists so that no parent’s only options are silence and a doorstep. Until the law changes, we answer the phone — and we keep making the case, in daylight.

BABY-I is not an emergency service. If you or a child are in immediate danger, call 999 without delay.