Birth seasonality in Australia
Australia: Birth seasonality was 30.39 births per million people in 2021. ▼ Falling
Latest (2021)
30.39 births per million people
Change on year
up 6.5%
World rank
5th
of 40 countries
All-time high
58.68 births per million people
in 1970
All-time low
19.32 births per million people
in 2018
Years of data
60
1962–2021
Birth seasonality in Australia, 1962–2021
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per million people.
Analysis
In 2021, birth seasonality in Australia stood at 30.39 births per million people.
The figure is up 6.5% on the previous year and down 12.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth seasonality in Australia peaked at 58.68 births per million people in 1970 and was at its lowest, 19.32 births per million people, in 2018.
Australia ranks 5th of 40 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 60 years of available data.
Birth seasonality in Australia, year by year
| Year | births per million people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 57.7 births per million people | — |
| 1963 | 55.15 births per million people | -4.4% |
| 1964 | 53.98 births per million people | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 51.17 births per million people | -5.2% |
| 1966 | 51.22 births per million people | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 51.46 births per million people | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 51.79 births per million people | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 52.92 births per million people | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 58.68 births per million people | +10.9% |
| 1971 | 53.96 births per million people | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 51.13 births per million people | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 46.6 births per million people | -8.8% |
| 1974 | 45.54 births per million people | -2.3% |
| 1975 | 44.16 births per million people | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 42.67 births per million people | -3.4% |
| 1977 | 40.88 births per million people | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 40.59 births per million people | -0.7% |
| 1979 | 38.87 births per million people | -4.2% |
| 1980 | 41.62 births per million people | +7.1% |
| 1981 | 41.58 births per million people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 41.26 births per million people | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 40.01 births per million people | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 40.46 births per million people | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 39.37 births per million people | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 40.34 births per million people | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 38.92 births per million people | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 40.78 births per million people | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 39.81 births per million people | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 39.4 births per million people | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 39.11 births per million people | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 38.74 births per million people | -1.0% |
| 1993 | 39.41 births per million people | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 38.75 births per million people | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 35.82 births per million people | -7.6% |
| 1996 | 37.33 births per million people | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 35.85 births per million people | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 35.09 births per million people | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 35.19 births per million people | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 32.83 births per million people | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 32.55 births per million people | -0.9% |
| 2002 | 33.36 births per million people | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 33.43 births per million people | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 32.67 births per million people | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 34.9 births per million people | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 34.9 births per million people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 35.19 births per million people | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 37.44 births per million people | +6.4% |
| 2009 | 36.17 births per million people | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 29.54 births per million people | -18.3% |
| 2011 | 34.54 births per million people | +16.9% |
| 2012 | 28.96 births per million people | -16.1% |
| 2013 | 34.07 births per million people | +17.7% |
| 2014 | 26.67 births per million people | -21.7% |
| 2015 | 33.33 births per million people | +25.0% |
| 2016 | 22.83 births per million people | -31.5% |
| 2017 | 21.99 births per million people | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 19.32 births per million people | -12.2% |
| 2019 | 29.43 births per million people | +52.4% |
| 2020 | 28.54 births per million people | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 30.39 births per million people | +6.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 30.39 births per million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 16.05 births per million people, 1.9× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- Australia's 30.39 births per million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 23.36 births per million people, 1.3× the median. (38 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Birth seasonality in Australia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +52.4% | 19.32 births per million people | 29.43 births per million people |
| 2016 | -31.5% | 33.33 births per million people | 22.83 births per million people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 53.17 births per million people | 51.17 births per million people | 57.7 births per million people | 8 |
| 1970s | 46.31 births per million people | 38.87 births per million people | 58.68 births per million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.41 births per million people | 38.92 births per million people | 41.62 births per million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 37.47 births per million people | 35.09 births per million people | 39.41 births per million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 34.34 births per million people | 32.55 births per million people | 37.44 births per million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.07 births per million people | 19.32 births per million people | 34.54 births per million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 29.46 births per million people | 28.54 births per million people | 30.39 births per million people | 2 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 2 Russia 34.89 births per million people compare
- 3 Belarus 30.75 births per million people compare
- 4 Chile 30.71 births per million people compare
- 6 New Zealand 29.85 births per million people compare
- 7 Ukraine 28.56 births per million people compare
- 8 United States 28.43 births per million people compare
More population data for Australia
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2553 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5755 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.5057 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.09 million people (2100)
- Population density 5.61 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth seasonality in Australia?
- Birth seasonality in Australia was 30.39 births per million people in 2021, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth seasonality recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.68 births per million people in 1970.
- What is the lowest birth seasonality recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.32 births per million people in 2018.
- How does Australia rank for birth seasonality?
- Australia ranks 5th out of 40 countries with data for 2021.
- Is birth seasonality rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.0%. 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 Birth seasonality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average daily number of births, per million people, calculated for December.