Number of children ever born (TISP)

Latest release
Census of Population and Housing: Census dictionary
Cite
Reference period
2021

Definition

This variable records the number of children ever born to each female aged 15 years and over.

Scope

Females aged 15 years and over

Categories

CodeCategory
00No children
011 child
022 children
033 children
044 children
055 children
066 children
077 children
088 children
099 children
1010 children
1111 children
1212 children
1313 children
1414 children
1515 children
1616 children
1717 children
1818 children
1919 children
2020 children
2121 children
2222 children
2323 children
2424 children
2525 children
2626 children
2727 children
2828 children
2929 children
3030 or more children
&&Not stated
@@Not applicable
VVOverseas visitor

Number of categories:  34

Not applicable (@@) category comprises:

  • Males
  • Females aged under 15 years

See Understanding supplementary codes for more information.

Question(s) from the Census form

For each female, how many babies has she ever given birth to?

For each female, how many babies has she ever given birth to?
How many babies has Person 1 ever given birth to? Exclude adopted, foster and step children. More information Number of babies

More information

Additional information relating to the question on: For each female, how many babies has she ever given birth to?
How many babies has Person 1 ever given birth to? Exclude adopted, foster and step children. More information Enter the number of children the person has given birth to. This question is only applicable to females aged 15 years or over. Information obtained from this question is used to calculate measures of lifetime fertility. This information will assist with calculating future population projections for Australia and provide information about the impact of fertility trends on social issues, such as the ageing of the population.

How this variable is created

Data for this variable is captured automatically from written numeric responses, or the 'None' response category on the paper form. All numeric responses are accepted as reported.

History and changes

This question was first asked in the 1981 Census.

For 2016, an instruction on the form to include live births only was removed, due to evidence of the sensitivities of this question which cannot be overcome effectively in a self-report questionnaire. This instruction was previously included to collect births information according the United Nations Standard.

No changes have been made for 2021.

Data use considerations

The data may include a small proportion of persons with unusually high numbers of children ever born, as all numeric responses are accepted as reported.

For the Census online form, females aged 15 years and over were asked this question. Male respondents and people who responded only with non-binary sex were not asked this question.

The non-response rate for Number of children ever born (TISP) was 6.7% in 2021. This is a decrease from 8.0% in 2016. 

Related variables and glossary terms

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