Share of births by age of mother in Australia
Australia: Share of births by age of mother was 1.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of births by age of mother in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of births by age of mother in Australia is 1.7%, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 50.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births by age of mother in Australia peaked at 11.3% in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2022.
That places Australia 194th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Share of births by age of mother in Australia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.4% | — |
| 1951 | 5.4% | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 5.3% | -1.9% |
| 1953 | 5.3% | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 5.6% | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 5.9% | +6.7% |
| 1956 | 6.2% | +4.6% |
| 1957 | 6.4% | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 6.6% | +3.6% |
| 1959 | 6.9% | +4.1% |
| 1960 | 7.1% | +3.0% |
| 1961 | 7.6% | +6.3% |
| 1962 | 7.9% | +5.1% |
| 1963 | 8.7% | +9.2% |
| 1964 | 9.6% | +10.6% |
| 1965 | 10.5% | +9.4% |
| 1966 | 11.0% | +5.3% |
| 1967 | 10.9% | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 10.6% | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 10.5% | -1.2% |
| 1970 | 10.7% | +2.1% |
| 1971 | 11.0% | +2.8% |
| 1972 | 11.3% | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 11.1% | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 10.7% | -3.8% |
| 1975 | 10.3% | -3.6% |
| 1976 | 9.5% | -7.7% |
| 1977 | 9.0% | -5.8% |
| 1978 | 8.6% | -4.4% |
| 1979 | 8.2% | -3.8% |
| 1980 | 7.9% | -3.7% |
| 1981 | 7.7% | -2.8% |
| 1982 | 7.3% | -5.0% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | -5.8% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | -7.8% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | -4.7% |
| 1986 | 6.0% | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 5.9% | -1.8% |
| 1988 | 5.8% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 5.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 5.8% | -2.0% |
| 1992 | 5.5% | -5.4% |
| 1993 | 5.2% | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -1.8% |
| 1996 | 5.0% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 4.9% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 4.8% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 4.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +2.0% |
| 2002 | 4.6% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 4.4% | -4.6% |
| 2004 | 4.3% | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 4.2% | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 4.1% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 4.3% | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 3.9% | -4.7% |
| 2012 | 3.7% | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -8.8% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -9.3% |
| 2016 | 2.5% | -10.2% |
| 2017 | 2.4% | -5.6% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -6.3% |
| 2019 | 2.1% | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 1.9% | -8.6% |
| 2021 | 1.7% | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 1.7% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 1.7% | +2.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.9% | 5.3% | 6.9% | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.4% | 7.1% | 11.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 10.0% | 8.2% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.6% | 5.8% | 7.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.2% | 4.7% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.3% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 2.1% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
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 share of births by age of mother in Australia?
- Share of births by age of mother in Australia was 1.7% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births by age of mother recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 1972.
- What is the lowest share of births by age of mother recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2022.
- How does Australia rank for share of births by age of mother?
- Australia ranks 194th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of births by age of mother rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births by age of mother. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of live births in a calendar year.