1367.5 - Western Australian Statistical Indicators, Sep 2009  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/10/2009   
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Contents >> Population and social trends >> Demographic indicators

DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS

  • Since 2002, when the fertility of the Western Australian population reached an historic low of 1.7 babies per woman, the total fertility rate (TFR) has trended upwards reaching 2.0 babies per woman in 2007. In line with national trends, the recent increase would appear to be the result of higher fertility among women aged 30 years and over.
  • In the 10 years to June 2007, the number of births to mothers aged 35 years and over rose by 72%. These births represented 14% of all births in Western Australia in 1997 but 21% of all births in 2007.
  • Life expectancy has continued to rise for both sexes. In the 10 years to 2007, it rose from 75.7 to 79.2 years for males and from 81.6 to 84.0 years for females.
  • In the past decade the median age at first marriage has steadily increased for both sexes reaching 29.9 years for males and 27.8 years for females in 2008.
  • The crude divorce rate has decreased over the last decade, falling from 2.9 divorces per 1,000 of the estimated resident population in 1998 to 2.2 in 2008.
  • Over the same period, the crude death rate has also decreased from 6.0 to 5.8 deaths per 1,000 of the population.

3 Demographic indicators

Reference period
Current figure
Figure 1
year ago
Figure 10
years ago

Births
Crude birth rate(a) rate
2007
13.8
13.5
13.8
Total fertility rate(b) rate
2007
2.0
1.9
1.8
Life expectancy at birth
Males years
2007
79.2
79.1
75.7
Females years
2007
84.0
83.8
81.6
Family formation
Crude marriage rate (a) rate
2008
5.7
5.8
5.9
Median age at first marriage - males years
2008
29.9
30.0
28.2
Median age at first marriage - females years
2008
27.8
27.8
26.2
Crude divorce rate (c) rate
2008
2.2
2.3
2.9
Deaths
Crude death rate (a) rate
2007
5.8
5.7
6.0

(a) Number registered in the calendar year per 1,000 of the estimated resident population at 30 June of that year.  
(b) The sum of age-specific fertility rates (live births at each age of mother per female population of that age). It represents the number of children a female would bear during her lifetime if she experienced current age-specific fertility rates at each age of her reproductive life.
(c) The number of divorces granted in the calendar year per 1,000 of the estimated resident population at 30 June of that year.  
Source: Marriages, Australia cat. no. 3306.0.55.001; Marriages and Divorces cat. no 3310.0; Births, Australia cat. no. 3301.0; Australian Historical Population Statistics, cat. no. 3105.0.65.001



To view Excel Spreadsheet: Family Formation

This excel spreadsheet will be updated with 2008 data and new demographic data items will be added in the next issue.




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