What is fertility rate: births per woman in Australia?

Fertility rate: births per woman in Australia was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Australia?

The highest recorded value was 3.54 live births per woman in 1961.

What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Australia?

The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2020.

How does Australia rank for fertility rate: births per woman?

Australia ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Australia?

Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Australia data come from?

The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Fertility rate: births per woman in Australia

Name: Fertility rate: births per woman in Australia
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Australia: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

1.64 live births per woman

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

146th

of 236 countries

All-time high

3.54 live births per woman

in 1961

All-time low

1.59 live births per woman

in 2020

Years of data

1950–2023

Fertility rate: births per woman in Australia, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.

Analysis

In 2023, fertility rate: births per woman in Australia stood at 1.64 live births per woman.

The figure is down 13.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Australia peaked at 3.54 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.59 live births per woman, in 2020.

That places Australia 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	3.26 live births per woman	3.06 live births per woman	3.44 live births per woman	10
1960s	3.14 live births per woman	2.85 live births per woman	3.54 live births per woman	10
1970s	2.36 live births per woman	1.91 live births per woman	2.95 live births per woman	10
1980s	1.89 live births per woman	1.84 live births per woman	1.94 live births per woman	10
1990s	1.83 live births per woman	1.76 live births per woman	1.91 live births per woman	10
2000s	1.85 live births per woman	1.74 live births per woman	2.02 live births per woman	10
2010s	1.82 live births per woman	1.67 live births per woman	1.95 live births per woman	10
2020s	1.63 live births per woman	1.59 live births per woman	1.65 live births per woman	4

Countries ranked near Australia

143 New Zealand 1.67 live births per woman compare
144 Colombia 1.65 live births per woman compare
145 France 1.64 live births per woman compare
147 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
148 Turkey 1.62 live births per woman compare
149 United States 1.62 live births per woman compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Australia

Number of child deaths per woman 0.0065 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
Fertility rate: births per woman 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.64 live births per woman (2023)
Human Development Index 0.958 (2023)
Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.47 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Rule of Law - Governance score 82.27 0-100 (2024)
Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.51 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Voice and Accountability - Governance score 83.32 0-100 (2024)
Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.7933 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Political Stability - Governance score 79.44 0-100 (2024)

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate: births per woman in Australia?: Fertility rate: births per woman in Australia was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Australia?: The highest recorded value was 3.54 live births per woman in 1961.
What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Australia?: The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2020.
How does Australia rank for fertility rate: births per woman?: Australia ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Australia?: Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?: The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Fertility rate: births per woman
Unit: live births per woman
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 06 August 2026

The total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.