Births, Australia

Latest release

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

Reference period
2024
Release date and time
15/10/2025 11:30am AEDT

Key statistics

  • There were 292,318 registered births in 2024, an increase of 1.9% (or 5,320 births) from 2023.
  • The total fertility rate was 1.481 births per woman.
  • Median age was 32.1 years for mothers and 33.9 years for fathers.

Summary statistics

201420232024
Male births (no.)153,592147,422150,299
Female births (no.)146,105139,576142,019
Total births (no.)299,697286,998292,318
Total fertility rate1.7951.4991.481
Sex ratio105.1105.6105.8
Crude birth rate12.810.810.7
Net reproduction rate0.870.720.71
Completed cohort fertlity rate2.082.022.02

Total fertility rate is the average number of registered births per woman aged 15 to 49 years.

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

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.

Completed cohort fertility rate is the average number of children a specific group of women (born in the same year) have during their childbearing years.

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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all data are based on year of registration. These data are final and are not updated.

Occurrence data available in Data downloads are updated in each annual release. See Data Collection - Occurrence data and yearly updates in Methodology.

Births registered

There were 292,318 births registered in 2024, an increase of 1.9% (or 5,320 births) from 2023. Of these:

  • 51.4% were males, resulting in a sex ratio at birth of 105.8 male births per 100 female births
  • 60.8% were to parents in a registered marriage.
  1. Data for 2024 show an increase of 5,320 births registrations. This increase partly reflects changes in registration processing times in some states and territories. Further information can be found under Processing the data in Methodology.

Median age of parents

Multiple births

Total fertility rate

The total fertility rate required for replacement is 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 1.481 babies per woman in 2024, lower than 2023 (1.499) and the rate 10 years ago (1.795 in 2014)
  • has been below replacement since 1976.

Age-specific fertility rate

Completed cohort fertility rate

States and territories

In 2024, Victoria registered 9,422 (12.9%) more births compared to 2023. This large increase in births was due to an improvement in birth registration processing times in 2024, following a period of processing delays. A number of other states were also impacted by changes in processing times in 2024.

Caution is advised when comparing year-on-year counts, in particular for Victoria and Australia. Further information can be found under Processing the data in Methodology.

Births registered

  • Outside of Victoria (refer to box above), the Northern Territory recorded the largest proportional increase in births (6.2%).
  • South Australia had the least proportional change (-0.2%).
Births registered by state or territory of registration
2023 (no.)2024 (no.)2023-24 (no.)2023-24 (%)
NSW(a)90,00086,978-3,022-3.4
Vic.(b)72,90682,3289,42212.9
Qld58,54958,9864370.7
SA18,55618,516-40-0.2
WA(c)32,02730,516-1,511-4.7
Tas.5,5675,483-84-1.5
NT3,2823,4842026.2
ACT6,1026,017-85-1.4
Aust.(d)286,998292,3185,3201.9
  1. The decrease in births in New South Wales in 2024 (3.4%) was in part due to an increase in birth registration processing times in 2024. Refer to Processing the data, New South Wales, in Methodology for more information.
  2. The large increase in births in Victoria in 2024 (12.9%) was due to an improvement in birth registration processing times in 2024, following a period of processing delays. Refer to Processing the data, Victoria, in Methodology for more information.
  3. The decrease in births in Western Australia in 2024 (4.7%) was in part due to increased birth registrations in 2023 after a registration backlog was cleared. Refer to Processing the data, Western Australia, in Methodology for more information.
  4. Includes births registered in Norfolk Island.

Median age of parents

The oldest median ages for mothers and fathers were in:

  • the Australian Capital Territory (32.8 years for mothers and 34.3 years for fathers)
  • Victoria (32.7 years for mothers and 34.4 years for fathers).

The youngest median age for mothers was in:

  • the Northern Territory (30.5 years)
  • Tasmania (31.1 years).

The youngest median age for fathers was in:

  • Tasmania (32.7 years)
  • the Northern Territory (32.9 years).
Median age of parents by state or territory of usual residence, 2024
Median age of mothers (yrs)Median age of fathers (yrs)
NSW32.234.1
Vic.32.734.4
Qld31.233.0
SA31.833.5
WA31.933.9
Tas.31.132.7
NT30.532.9
ACT32.834.3
Aust.32.133.9

Multiple births

Total fertility rate

  • The Northern Territory recorded the highest total fertility rate (1.629 babies per woman).
  • The Australian Capital Territory had the lowest total fertility rate (1.273 babies per woman).
  1. The decrease in births in New South Wales in 2024 (3.4%) was in part due to an increase in birth registration processing times in 2024. Refer to Processing the data, New South Wales, in Methodology for more information.
  2. The large increase in births in Victoria in 2024 (12.9%) was due to an improvement in birth registration processing times in 2024, following a period of processing delays. Refer to Processing the data, Victoria, in Methodology for more information.
  3. The decrease in births in Western Australia in 2024 (4.7%) was in part due to increased birth registrations in 2023 after a registration backlog was cleared. Refer to Processing the data, Western Australia, in Methodology for more information.
  4. Includes births registered in Norfolk Island.

Net reproduction rate

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Derivation of Indigenous status

Prior to 2024, a child was recorded as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin if either parent identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin on the birth registration form. 

In 2024, an additional data field on the birth registration form was used to derive the Indigenous status of the child - whether the child was identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait origin. Caution is advised when interpreting time series data for New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. See Change in how Indigenous status of births is derived for more detail.

Summary statistics
201420232024
Male births (no.)9,24112,67912,894
Female births (no.)8,53812,05812,155
Total births (no.)17,77924,73725,049
Total fertility rate (babies per woman)1.9402.1692.128
Sex ratio (males per 100 females)108.2105.2106.1

Births registered

There were 25,049 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered in 2024, an increase of 312 babies from 2023. This represents 8.6% of all births registered in 2024. 

  • New South Wales and Queensland recorded the highest number of births (8,294 and 7,544)
  • The Australian Capital Territory recorded the lowest number of births (316).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander births registered by state or territory of registration
2014 (no.)2023 (no.)2024 (no.)
NSW4,9318,5438,294
Vic.1,4622,3142,686
Qld5,3947,2847,544
SA9251,2361,188
WA2,7953,0342,925
Tas.545680705
NT1,4861,2831,391
ACT241363316
Aust.17,77924,73725,049

Median age of parents

Total fertility rate

The total fertility rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women was 2.128 babies per woman. 

This is a decrease from 2023 (2.169 babies per woman), but remains higher than 10 years ago (1.940 babies per woman in 2014).

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander total fertility rate (babies per woman) by state or territory of usual residence
201420232024
NSW1.5302.2042.072
Vic.1.7392.0442.218
Qld2.1702.3072.349
SA1.8682.0121.922
WA2.7692.4032.198
Tas.1.4081.7081.678
NT2.1311.7491.865
ACT1.6331.7781.511
Aust.(a)1.9402.1692.128
  1. Includes Other Territories.

Age-specific fertility rate

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
  • Statistical Areas Level 2 (SA2)
  • Statistical Areas Level 4 (SA4)
  • Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA)
  • 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
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