Share of births outside marriage in Australia
Australia: Share of births outside marriage was 36.54 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of births outside marriage in Australia, 1975–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Australia recorded 36.54 for share of births outside marriage in 2020. That is the highest value across all 46 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and up 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Australia peaked at 36.54 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 10.1, in 1976.
That places Australia 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Share of births outside marriage in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 10.2 | — |
| 1976 | 10.1 | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 10.3 | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 11 | +6.8% |
| 1979 | 11.7 | +6.4% |
| 1980 | 12.4 | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 13.2 | +6.5% |
| 1982 | 13.7 | +3.8% |
| 1983 | 14.7 | +7.3% |
| 1984 | 14.8 | +0.7% |
| 1985 | 15.5 | +4.7% |
| 1986 | 16.8 | +8.4% |
| 1987 | 18 | +7.1% |
| 1988 | 19 | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 20.2 | +6.3% |
| 1990 | 21.9 | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 23 | +5.0% |
| 1992 | 24 | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 24.9 | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 25.6 | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 26.6 | +3.9% |
| 1996 | 27.4 | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 28.1 | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 28.7 | +2.1% |
| 1999 | 29.2 | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 29.2 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 30.73 | +5.2% |
| 2002 | 31.25 | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 31.58 | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 32.16 | +1.8% |
| 2005 | 32.62 | +1.4% |
| 2006 | 33.12 | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 33.94 | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 34.87 | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 35.06 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 34.45 | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 34.18 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 34.51 | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 34.41 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 34.37 | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 34.47 | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 33.95 | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 34.83 | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 35.32 | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 35.57 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 36.54 | +2.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 10.66 | 10.1 | 11.7 | 5 |
| 1980s | 15.83 | 12.4 | 20.2 | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.94 | 21.9 | 29.2 | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.45 | 29.2 | 35.06 | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.61 | 33.95 | 35.57 | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.54 | 36.54 | 36.54 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More population data for Australia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 32,193 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8589 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.2773 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.503 (2100)
- Population density 5.61 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 2.09 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.503 (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 0.859 % change on previous year (2030)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled 29,511 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births outside marriage in Australia?
- Share of births outside marriage in Australia was 36.54 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.54 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.1 in 1976.
- How does Australia rank for share of births outside marriage?
- Australia ranks 26th out of 42 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).