Australia's fertility rate reaches an all-time low

Tasmania was the only region to post an increase in fertility rates from 2022 to 2023 while fertility rates collapsed by about 20 per cent in NSW and Victoria over the past decade.

On October 16, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said there were 286,998 births registered in Australia in 2023 and the national total fertility rate dropped to 1.5 babies per woman.

ABS head of demography statistics Beidar Cho said "the record low total fertility rate is because there were fewer births in most states and territories".

All states and territories have experienced sustained declines in the total fertility rate over the past 10 years, according to ABS data.

In the ACT, the total fertility rate in 2023 was 1.31 births per woman, a decrease of about 26 per cent compared with 2013.

The total fertility rates in NSW and Victoria both dropped by more than 20 per cent in the past decade, according to ABS data.

Only Tasmania experienced an increase in its total fertility rate since 2022, rising from 1.49 to 1.51 babies per woman.

According to ABS, the total fertility rate has been gradually declining for 30 years, with the most prominent decrease observed among women aged 15 to 19.

Additionally, the age-specific fertility rate for women aged 20 to 24 has also experienced a large decline.

"The long-term decline in fertility of younger mums as well as the continued increase in fertility of older mums reflects a shift towards later childbearing.

"Together, this has resulted in a rise in median age of mothers to 31.9 years, and a fall in Australia's total fertility rate," Ms Cho said.