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, Mothers & babies and Youth justice. 

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Latest findings

In 2021, most Year 5 students achieved at or above the national minimum standards for reading (95%) and numeracy (95%)

In 2019–20, almost 39,500 children aged 0–12 were the subject of a child protection substantiation

Between 2011 and 2019, the proportion of mothers smoking during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy fell from 13% to 9%

Severe psychological distress among 18–24 year olds increased from 14% in February 2017 to 22% in April 2020

Between 2001 and 2019, rates of 14-24 year olds who drank at risky levels, smoked daily, or used drugs illicitly fell

In 2019, police-recorded sexual assault was 9 times as high for females as males aged 15–24

Highlights

93% of Australian children were fully immunised at 2 years of age in 2020
For people aged 15–24, around:
• 1 in 2 assaults and
• 1 in 4 sexual assaults
were considered family and domestic violence in 2019
Hospitalisations due to injury:• 62,100 children aged 0–14 in 2019–20
• 57,400 young people aged 15–24 in 2018–19 (for unintentional injury)
The prevalence of overweight and obesity in 2017–18 was:
• 24% for children aged 5–14
• 27% for young people aged 15–17
• 46% for young people aged 18–24
Almost 7% of live-born babies were of low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) in 2019
The 3 leading causes of burden of disease for children aged 5–14 in 2018 were:
• asthma
• anxiety disorders
• depressive disorders
Less young people aged 14–24 reported daily smoking, exceeding the single occasion alcohol risk guideline or recent use of illicit drugs in 2019
Deaths per 100,000 decreased from:
• 19.7 in 1998 to 8.6 in 2020 for children aged 1–14
• 72 in 1999 to 41 in 2019 for young people aged 15–24