Australia's birth rate falls to record low

Australia registered 286,998 births in 2023, resulting in a total fertility rate of just 1.50 babies per woman, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The figure marks the lowest fertility rate ever recorded in the country.

Beidar Cho, ABS head of demography statistics, noted, "The record low total fertility rate is attributed to fewer births across most states and territories."

Western Australia recorded the highest TFR at 1.57 babies per woman, followed closely by New South Wales and the Northern Territory at 1.55.

The Australian Capital Territory reported the lowest fertility rate, with only 1.31 babies per woman. Tasmania was the only state to experience an increase in TFR since 2022, rising from 1.49 to 1.51 babies per woman.

The data also highlighted that the total fertility rate for mothers identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander was significantly higher, at 2.17 babies per woman.

In total, there were 24,737 births registered in 2023 where at least one parent was of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, making up 8.6% of all births.

Over the past three decades, Australia’s TFR has gradually declined from 1.86 in 1993.

This trend is particularly pronounced among younger women, with the fertility rate for those aged 15 to 19 falling by more than two-thirds, now at just 6.2 per 1,000 women.

The decline is also evident among women aged 20 to 24 years.

In contrast, the fertility rate for women aged 40 to 44 has nearly doubled in the same period, now at 15.1 per 1,000 women.

Women aged 30 to 34 continue to have the highest fertility rate, at 105.2 babies per 1,000 women, followed by those aged 25 to 29, with a rate of 74.9.

Cho commented, "The long-term decline in fertility rates among younger mothers, coupled with an increase in fertility among older mothers, reflects a shift toward later childbearing. This has contributed to a rise in the median age of mothers, now at 31.9 years, and a further decline in Australia's total fertility rate."