In 2022, 300 684 babies were born in Australia, corresponding to a total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.63 children per woman, which is above the OECD average of 1.51.
Across the OECD on average, the TFR steadily declined from 1960 until 2002, while in Australia the TFR fell most rapidly during the 1970s to stabilise thereafter. There was a fertility rebound in the 2000s until 2008 – more pronounced in Australia than across the OECD, upon which the TFR started to decline again.
Number of children per woman aged 15 to 49, Australia and OECD average, 1960 to 2022
Source: Figure 1.1 in OECD (2024), Society at a Glance 2024, https://stat.link/vxdlnc.
Many factors affect fertility choices, including employment of men and women, unemployment, financial support for families (e.g. paid parental leave and childcare supports) and housing costs (Figure 1.7, https://stat.link/8zu7m3 and Figure 1.14, https://stat.link/ois3k8). However other factors such as (financial) uncertainty as well as norms and attitudes also play a role. In many OECD countries, the desire to establish oneself in the labour and housing markets have contributed to a delay in childbearing. In Australia, the mean age of mothers at childbirth rose from 29.5 years in 2000 to 31.2 years in 2022, just above the OECD on average (Figure 1.5, https://stat.link/163n2d).
Selection of indicators related to the chapter on fertility trends and other social indicators
Source: OECD (2024), Society at a Glance 2024, https://stat.link/vxdlnc.