Mothers are also having children later in their life.
Australia’s fertility rate has hit a low of 1.50 babies per woman, according to latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.
It is the lowest birthrate in the last 90 years of available demographic data, with teenage women having less children. The country saw a peak in fertility in 1961, with a rate of 3.5.
But, overall, despite some movement up and down, Australian fertility rates have continued on a downward spiral since 1971.
There were 286,998 births registered in Australia in 2023, according to the ABS.
Beidar Cho, ABS head of demography statistics, said there were fewer births in most states and territories.
Western Australia had the highest total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.57 babies per woman in 2023, closely followed by New South Wales and the Northern Territory (both 1.55 babies per woman).
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The Australian Capital Territory—with its younger population—had the lowest total fertility rate with 1.31 babies per woman.
Only Tasmania saw an increase in TFR since 2022, growing from 1.49 to 1.51 babies.
The fertility rate among Indigenous women was, however, higher than the national average, Cho says.
“In 2023, the total fertility rate for mothers who were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander was 2.17 babies per woman,” she said.
“There were 24,737 births registered where at least one parent was an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian, which makes up 8.6 percent of all births.”
Women Now Bearing Children When Older
Over the past 30 years, the TFR has slowly dropped from 1.86 in 1993.
This decline was most prominent among women aged 15 to 19 years where the age-specific fertility rate fell by more than two-thirds (to 6.2 per 1,000 women).
The age-specific fertility rate of women aged 20 to 24 years also saw a large decline.
In contrast, the age-specific fertility rate of women aged 40 to 44 years almost doubled (to 15.1 babies per 1,000 women) when compared with 30 years ago.
Meanwhile, women aged 30 to 34 years continue to have the highest age-specific fertility rate (105.2 babies per 1,000 women), followed by women aged 25 to 29 years (74.9 babies per 1,000 women).
“The long-term decline in fertility of younger mums as well as the continued increase in fertility of older mums reflects a shift towards later childbearing,” Cho said in a statement.
“Together, this has resulted in a rise in median age of mothers to 31.9 years, and a fall in Australia’s total fertility rate.”
