Britain is on the brink of a cousin crash due to declining birthrate and smaller families, according to researchers.
In the 1970s, the average British teenager had seven cousins, but today they only have five. It is projected to fall to four by the end of the century.
Academics Diego Alburez-Gutierrez of the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, alongside fellow academics Iván Williams and Hal Caswell, have published a study on the declining numbers of cousins.
They argue there will be a shift away from children growing up with lots of relatives their own age — including both siblings and cousins — to instead spending more time with grandparents and even great-grandparents.
As families become older and smaller, it means cousins, who often help each other with financial, practical or emotional support, will be called upon less.
