Overview. Australia's fertility rate has fallen dramatically since the 1960s. It is now at an all-time low and well below replacement level.
That Australians are having fewer children isn't just about money – but cutting the cost would help. It's no secret that Australians are having fewer children. The latest ABS statistics reveal our fertility rate was 1.7 – well below the so-called replacement rate needed to keep the population growing.
The total fertility rate, a measure that gives the average number of children an Australian woman would have during her lifetime should she experience the age-specific fertility rates present at the time was 1.7 births per woman in 2021. This was up from the 1.59 for 2020, the lowest total fertility rate ever reported.
In 2020-21, the fertility rate was 1.66 babies per woman, similar to the rate recorded in 2018-19. In 2019-20, the rate had fallen to 1.61 babies per woman. According to the report, the data suggests people “adapted to the uncertainty of the pandemic and quickly caught-up on delayed childbearing plans”.
One study by Melbourne's Deakin University found a lack of maternal instinct was common among respondents who didn't want children, yet a desire for independence and career opportunity, overpopulation and climate change pop up regularly in other surveys. What does a life look like when you choose to remain childfree?
The average age of mothers has been rising over time, from 30.0 in 2010 to 30.9 in 2020. Average maternal age has risen for both first-time mothers (from 28.3 years in 2010 to 29.6 in 2020) and those who have given birth previously (from 31.3 years in 2010 to 32.0 in 2020).
Having Babies After 35 Is Safe
And while it's true that conceiving after 35 comes with an increased risk of complications—like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, chromosomal abnormalities, and even miscarriage or stillbirth—many people go on to deliver healthy babies.
Although the majority of Americans have or want children, some 44 percent of non-parents ages 18 to 49 say it is not too likely or not at all likely that they will have children someday, according to a Pew Research Center Study.
South Korea has the world's lowest fertility rate, a struggle with lessons for us all. A woman holding her daughter looks at a view of Seoul in 2019. The fertility rate in South Korea, which has the world's lowest rate, hit 0.78 in February.
There are plenty of playgrounds in most places throughout Australia, and a lot of hotels have swimming pools. Furthermore, there are also beaches, public swimming pools, and even some natural waterholes where it's safe to swim. Australia is great for kids!
1 in 6 children in Australia (16.6% or 761,000) are growing up in poverty which continues to be higher than the rate for adults (12.7%).
Declining fertility rates are a consequence of a confluence of many related factors, including (but not limited to): Better access to contraception. Improving opportunities for women, outside of childbearing. Robust healthcare that lowers mortality rates of children.
Key points. Oft-cited "nationally representative polls" suggest men want children more than women in the United States.
Women who become pregnant in their 30s and early 40s can have safe, healthy pregnancies, says Ellie Ragsdale, MD, director of fetal intervention at UH Cleveland Medical Center. But they do face a higher risk of some problems.
The average number of people living in each household has declined from around 2.9 in the mid-1980s to around 2.5 since the early 2000s. More recently, the AHS declined to historical lows of a little below 2.5 people per household.
The most common birthday in Australia is September 17th! The least common birthday (you may have guessed it is) is Christmas Day, the 25th of December. If you are inclined to count leap years in the mix then the 29th February is the least common birthday, but only because they occur once every 4 years.
Being 35 or over does raise issues for women wanting to start a family. There is a gradual decrease in fertility after the age of 30, so a couple may take longer to conceive, or face problems of sub-fertility. More pregnant women in this age group will have undergone fertility treatment.
The rate of women giving birth in Australia has gradually fallen, from 66 per 1,000 in 2007 to 56 per 1,000 in 2020, consistent with ABS findings.