Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia

Australia: Annual birth rate and peak birth month was 12.08 births per 1,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
12.08 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 8.0%
World rank
3rd
of 41 countries
All-time high
25.07 births per 1,000 people
in 1921
All-time low
11.18 births per 1,000 people
in 2020
Years of data
101
1921–2021

Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia, 1921–2021

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Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia is 12.08 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2021.

The figure is up 8.0% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia peaked at 25.07 births per 1,000 people in 1921 and was at its lowest, 11.18 births per 1,000 people, in 2020.

Australia ranks 3rd of 41 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 101 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 22.93 births per 1,000 people 20.38 births per 1,000 people 25.07 births per 1,000 people 9
1930s 17.49 births per 1,000 people 16.44 births per 1,000 people 19.96 births per 1,000 people 10
1940s 21.42 births per 1,000 people 18.03 births per 1,000 people 24.23 births per 1,000 people 10
1950s 23.08 births per 1,000 people 22.71 births per 1,000 people 23.68 births per 1,000 people 10
1960s 21.04 births per 1,000 people 19.49 births per 1,000 people 23.08 births per 1,000 people 10
1970s 17.94 births per 1,000 people 15.47 births per 1,000 people 21.59 births per 1,000 people 10
1980s 15.56 births per 1,000 people 15.14 births per 1,000 people 16.05 births per 1,000 people 10
1990s 14.56 births per 1,000 people 13.7 births per 1,000 people 15.52 births per 1,000 people 10
2000s 13.45 births per 1,000 people 12.84 births per 1,000 people 14.09 births per 1,000 people 10
2010s 12.9 births per 1,000 people 11.73 births per 1,000 people 13.7 births per 1,000 people 10
2020s 11.63 births per 1,000 people 11.18 births per 1,000 people 12.08 births per 1,000 people 2

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 1 Israel 21.43 births per 1,000 people compare
  2. 2 Russia 13.52 births per 1,000 people compare
  3. 4 Iceland 11.5 births per 1,000 people compare
  4. 5 New Zealand 11.5 births per 1,000 people compare
  5. 6 Ukraine 11.1 births per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 41 places →

More population data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia?
Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Australia was 12.08 births per 1,000 people in 2021, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 25.07 births per 1,000 people in 1921.
What is the lowest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 11.18 births per 1,000 people in 2020.
How does Australia rank for annual birth rate and peak birth month?
Australia ranks 3rd out of 41 countries with data for 2021.
Is annual birth rate and peak birth month rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual birth rate and peak birth month. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 101 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual birth rate and peak birth month
Unit
births per 1,000 people
Source
Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
41 places, 3,818 data points, 1751–2024
Last refreshed

The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.