3301.0 - Births, Australia, 2016 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 13/12/2017   
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All


FERTILITY RATES


In 2016, Australia's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.79 babies per woman. Since 1976, the TFR for Australia has been below replacement level.The TFR required for replacement is currently considered to be around 2.1 babies per woman to replace herself and her partner. The TFR was 1.88 babies per woman in 2006, then increased to a ten-year high of 2.02 babies per woman in 2008.


Graph Image for Total Fertility Rate, Australia - 1936 to 2016(a)

Footnote(s): (a) Births per woman.

Source(s): Births, Australia



In recent decades, the average age of mothers has been increasing. In 2016, women aged 30-34 years have the highest fertility rate of 123 babies per 1,000 women. Conversely, the teenage fertility rate continued to decline. There were 11 babies per 1,000 women aged 15-19 years in 2016. For more information see the dataset Fertility, by age, by state from the Downloads tab.


Graph Image for Age-specific fertility rates, Selected age groups, Australia - 1936 to 2016(a)

Footnote(s): (a) Births per 1,000 women.

Source(s): Births, Australia