About 385,000 babies are born each day according to the UN. That adds up to more than 140 million a year. The 140 million extra babies per year join a world population projected to reach 10 billion people by 2056.
The UN estimates that around 385,000 babies are born each day around the world (140 million a year). This number will remain relatively stable in the 50 years from 2020 to 2070. From 2070 to 2100, the number will decline to around 356,000 (130 million a year).
Population projections show that the yearly number of births will remain at around 130 to 140 million per year over the coming decades.
The current birth rate for Australia in 2023 is 12.085 births per 1000 people, a 1.3% decline from 2022. The birth rate for Australia in 2022 was 12.244 births per 1000 people, a 1.28% decline from 2021. The birth rate for Australia in 2021 was 12.403 births per 1000 people, a 1.26% decline from 2020.
Number of births and fertility rate. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), there were 309,996 new births registered in 2021. This represented a recovery from the 2020 figure of 294,369.
Population change rates in 2023
982 live births average per day (40.90 in an hour) 488 deaths average per day (20.32 in an hour)
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.
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”.
Fertility rates in Australia and around the world
Dr Allen says the decline in the average number of children per woman is a result of increased education and paid employment for women. Women are starting families later and consequently having fewer children, and more people are choosing to be child-free.
Most babies (91%) in Australia are born at term (37–41 weeks). This is similar across the states and territories and has been stable over time.
One study estimated a woman can have around 15 pregnancies in a lifetime. And depending on how many babies she births for each pregnancy, she'd probably have around 15-30 children. But the "most prolific mother ever," according to Guinness World Records, was Mrs. Feodor Vassilyev in 19th century Russia.
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 data comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Social Security Administration. The rarest month to be born in is February, making Aquarius the rarest zodiac sign. February is the shortest month of the year, even with a leap year. Conception would have happened the previous May.
The most common birthday is Sept. 9. In second and third place are Sept. 19 and 12. In fact, the entire top 10 list is made of September birthdays between Sept. 9 and 20. Count backward and you're just in time for the holidays, since pregnancy is an average of 40 weeks from last menstruation.
Most babies born at once
In 2021 a Malian woman named Halima Cissé gave birth to nonuplets — nine babies delivered from one pregnancy.
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 last time our fertility rate was this low we started literally paying people to have babies.
Australia is one of the safest places in the world to give birth. And yet our health system sometimes fails women, their families, and the professionals who provide support. The Birth Project is a deep dive into pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experiences, right across Australia.
“Australia's population was at a near standstill through the September quarter of 2021, growing by under 0.1 per cent (12,100 people) to 25.8 million, an annual increase of 68,900 people,” Ms Cho said.
China is facing a population crisis in part due to more women choosing to focus on their careers and personal goals, instead of starting a family. The Chinese government abolished its one-child policy in 2016, and scrapped childbirth limits in 2021 — but married couples are still having fewer children.
Australian dads are among the oldest in the world, and we're not getting any younger. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics' data on registered births in 2020, the median age of fathers is 33.6 years, rising from 28.5 years in 1975, when data was first collated.
Birth rates have declined in most states across the US in recent years, while women are having babies at an older age, according to new data released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While a 92-year-old woman delivering a 60-year-old baby may sound like a bizarre plot twist from the movie “Benjamin Button,” it's true. Huang Yijun, 92, of southern China, recently delivered a child which she'd been carrying for well over half a century. The baby wasn't alive, however.
A woman's peak reproductive years are between the late teens and late 20s. By age 30, fertility (the ability to get pregnant) starts to decline. This decline happens faster once you reach your mid-30s. By 45, fertility has declined so much that getting pregnant naturally is unlikely.
The term baby or infant may be used from birth up to around 1 year of age. Once your baby turns 1 year old, they are often referred to as a toddler. The toddler age range is usually from 1 year to 3 years of age.