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Surrogacy

Asked by Carla LockhartDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled Answered 23 March 2026UIN 120432

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on trends in the number of children born via surrogacy abroad, in particular in (a) Kazakhstan and (b) Nigeria.

Answered by Karin Smyth

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in the number of children entering the United Kingdom who have been born through surrogacy in countries where commercial surrogacy operates, on the UK's not-for-profit surrogacy framework.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have published advice for those considering surrogacy overseas, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surrogacy-overseas/surrogacy-overseas

This clearly sets out the possible risks and the processes for returning to the UK with a child born through an international surrogacy arrangement.

The Department Health and Social Care does not hold any information on trends in the number of children born via surrogacy abroad, in particular in Kazakhstan and Nigeria.

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