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Births, Australia

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Statistics about births and fertility rates for Australia, states and territories, and sub-state regions

Reference period
2023

Key statistics

  • There were 286,998 registered births in 2023, a decrease of 4.6% from 2022.
  • For all Australian women, the total fertility rate was 1.50 births per woman.
  • For Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander women, the total fertility rate was 2.17 births per woman.

Summary statistics

Summary statistics
201320222023
Male births158,706154,281147,422
Female births149,359146,403139,576
Total births308,065300,684286,998
Total Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births18,36824,38824,737
Sex ratio106.3105.4105.6
Total fertility rate1.881.631.5
Total fertility rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women(a)(b)2.042.162.17
Crude birth rate13.311.610.8
Net reproduction rate0.90.790.72
  1. Care should be taken when interpreting data, due to changes over time in the completeness and coverage of responses by the parent(s) to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander question on the birth registration form.
  2. Fertility rates are calculated using 2021 Census-based population estimates and projections. For details see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fertility rates in Methodology. 

Total fertility rate is the number of registered births per woman.

Crude birth rate is the number of births per 1,000 estimated resident population.

Net reproduction rate is the average number of daughters surviving to reproductive age per woman.

Sex ratio is the number of male births per 100 female births.

All statistics are based on year of registration unless otherwise specified.

National

Occurrence of a birth and registration of a birth

Statistics published in Births, Australia are based on births registered in a calendar year (reference year) and reported to the ABS by Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory.

The number of births in all tables, except for one, are based on year of registration. These data are final and are not updated.

One table reports birth occurrences: 'Births, by month and year of occurrence, by state and territory', available in Data Explorer. Each annual release provides updates to the births occurrence data after receiving new data from state and territory registries. See National data - Occurrence data and yearly updates in Methodology.

Births registered

There were 286,998 births registered in 2023, a decrease of 4.6% (or 13,686 births) from 2022:

  • 51.4% were males, resulting in a sex ratio at birth of 105.6 male births per 100 female births 
  • 60.1% were to parents in a registered marriage.

Births registered – 1935 to 2023(a)

Births registered – 1935 to 2023(a)

Line chart with 89 data points.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying Year.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Births registered. Data ranges from 111325 to 315147.
End of interactive chart.
  1. Data for 2023 show a decrease of 13,686 births registrations. Further information can be found under Data quality, Methodology.

Total fertility rate

The total fertility rate level required for replacement is currently considered to be around 2.1 babies per woman to replace herself and her partner in the absence of overseas migration.

Australia's total fertility rate: 

  • was 1.50 babies per woman in 2023, lower than 2022 (1.63) and remaining lower than 2013 (1.88)
  • has been below replacement since 1976.

Total fertility rate – 1935 to 2023

Total fertility rate – 1935 to 2023

Line chart with 89 data points.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying Year.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Total fertility rate . Data ranges from 1.499 to 3.548.
End of interactive chart.

States and territories

Births registered

Most states and territories recorded a decrease in birth registrations in 2023. The largest proportional decreases in registered births in each state and territory were:

  • the Northern Territory (-8.2% or 295 births)
  • New South Wales (-6.0% or 5,758 births)
  • Queensland (-6.0% or 3,761 births)
  • South Australia (-4.9% or 946 births).

Births registered by state or territory of registration

Births registered by state or territory of registration
202220232022-23(no.)2022-23(%)
New South Wales95,75890,000-5,758-6
Victoria76,18772,906-3,281-4.3
Queensland62,31058,549-3,761-6
South Australia19,50218,556-946-4.9
Western Australia31,47432,0275531.8
Tasmania(a)5,4985,567691.3
Northern Territory3,5773,282-295-8.2
Australian Capital Territory6,3756,102-273-4.3
Australia(b)300,684286,998-13,686-4.6
  1. Birth registrations in Tasmania in 2022 and 2023 were affected by a change in the way births were assigned to the reference year.  For details see State and territory data - Tasmania in Methodology.
  2. Includes births registered in Norfolk Island in 2023.

Total fertility rate by state or territory of usual residence

  • Western Australia recorded the highest total fertility rate (1.57 babies per woman), followed by New South Wales and the Northern Territory (each 1.55 babies per woman).
  • The Australian Capital Territory had the lowest total fertility rate (1.31 babies per woman).
  • Only Tasmania recorded an increase in total fertility rate (from 1.49 to 1.51 babies per woman).

Total fertility rate by state or territory of usual residence

Total fertility rate by state or territory of usual residence

Bar chart with 3 data series.
The chart has 1 X axis displaying .
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying Fertility rate. Data ranges from 1.309 to 2.062.
End of interactive chart.
  1. Birth registrations in Tasmania in 2022 and 2023 were affected by a change in the way births were assigned to the reference year. For details see State and territory data - Tasmania in Methodology.
  2. Includes Other Territories.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Births registered

There were 24,737 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered in 2023, an increase of 349 babies from 2022. This represents 8.6% of all births registered in 2023. 

  • New South Wales and Queensland recorded the highest number of births (8,543 and 7,284).
  • The Australian Capital Territory recorded the lowest number of births (363).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered, by state or territory of registration

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered, by state or territory of registration
201320222023
New South Wales5,8018,5938,543
Victoria1,5022,0452,314
Queensland5,2057,4857,284
South Australia9401,1561,236
Western Australia2,7342,7823,034
Tasmania(a)526677680
Northern Territory1,4451,3271,283
Australian Capital Territory215323363
Australia18,36824,38824,737
  1. Birth registrations in Tasmania in 2022 and 2023 were affected by a change in the way births were assigned to the reference year. For details see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander birth registrations - Tasmania in Methodology.

Total fertility rate

Based on 2021-based population projections for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the total fertility rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women was:

  • 2.17 babies per woman
  • higher than for all Australian women (1.50).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander total fertility rate(a)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander total fertility rate(a)
State and territory of usual residence201320222023
New South Wales1.832.252.2
Victoria1.811.812.04
Queensland2.142.372.31
South Australia1.971.922.01
Western Australia2.732.242.4
Tasmania(b)1.421.581.71
Northern Territory2.111.821.75
Australian Capital Territory1.621.641.78
Australia(c)2.042.162.17
  1. Fertility rates are calculated using 2021 Census-based population estimates and projections. For details see Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander fertility rates in Methodology. 
  2. Birth registrations in Tasmania in 2022 and 2023 were affected by a change in the way births were assigned to the reference year.  For details see State and territory data - Tasmania in Methodology.
  3. Includes Other Territories.

Data downloads

Data files

Methodology

Scope

The Births collection includes all live born births that occurred and were registered in Australia.

The estimated resident population (ERP) is used as the denominator to calculate fertility rates.

 

Geography

Data on births are available by the following geographies:

  • Australia
  • States and territories
  • SA2, SA3, SA4
  • Greater Capital City Statistical Areas 
  • Remoteness Areas
  • Local Government Areas.

Source

Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory.

Collection method

The data are registered births reported to the ABS by Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory.

Concepts, sources and methods

Births statistics are presented by 

  • state or territory of registration
  • place of usual residence of the mother
  • year of the registration
  • year and month of birth.

 

History of changes

Not applicable to this release.

View full methodology