Overview

The early years of a child’s life provide the foundation for future heath, development and wellbeing. The transitions from childhood to adolescence to independent adulthood are also crucial periods for establishing positive health and social behaviours.

More reports and statistics on children & youth can be found under Adoption, Child protection and Mothers & babies.

Latest findings

10 per cent of women smoked in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy in 2015, declining steadily from 13 per cent in 2011 72.5% of Indigenous children aged 0-17 years in care have a cultural support plan 8.2 per 1,000 children aged 0-17 years are in out-of-home care (59.4 per 1,000 for Indigenous children) 11 births per 1,000 were to teenage mothers in 2015, decreasing from 13 per 1,000 females in 2014 22 per cent of children were living in households with housing stress in 2016, decreasing from 26 per cent in 2011 71.8% of children aged 8-17 years in out-of-home care reported satisfaction with contacts they had with family members An estimated 0.2 per cent of children aged 0–14 years (just over 7,300) were listed as homeless in 2016 3.1 infants per 1,000 live births died in 2016, decreasing from 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2006 51% of children and young people in out-of-home care are placed with relatives and kin

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Highlights

93%of Australian children were fully immunised by the time they started school in 2015
26%of children aged 5–14 and 22% of young people aged 15–24 are overweight or obese
74,000children aged 0–14 and 80,000 young people aged 15–24 were hospitalised in 2013–14 due to injury and poisoning
39%of young people aged 15–24 drink alcohol at levels that puts them at risk of harm
2.5%of children aged 5–14 and 3.3% of people aged 15–24 eat enough fruit and vegetables
10%of children aged 4–12 were classified as having abnormal social and emotional wellbeing in 2013–14
14%of young people aged 12–17 had a mental health disorder in the last 12 months
11%of young people aged 15–24 were current daily smokers in 2013 compared with 21% in 2001