Overview

A newborn baby's health can be a key determinant of their health and wellbeing throughout life. Factors such as physical health, social wellbeing and exposure to harmful behaviours can influence health outcomes for both mothers and babies.

More reports and statistics on mothers & babies can be found under Children & youth and Men & women.

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Latest findings

1 in 4 women giving birth in 2019 were aged 35 or over

2 in 7 mothers aged 35 or over were giving birth for the first-time

More than half (55%) of mothers aged 40 and over gave birth by caesarean section

Almost half (46%) of Indigenous mothers aged 40 and over had given birth at least 4 times previously

One in 8 (13%) babies of mothers aged 40 and over were pre-term, compared with 8.2% of babies born to mothers aged 20–34

Highlights

30.7 yearsis the average age of women who gave birth
6 per 100,000was the maternal mortality ratio in 2017
Almost 1 in 100pregnancies at or beyond 20 weeks gestation ends with the death of a baby
1 in 8mothers had a second birth vaginally after having their first birth by caesarean section
35% of mothers delivered by caesarean section in 2018 compared with 31% in 2008
44% of Indigenous mothers smoked during pregnancy in 2019 compared with 49% in 2010
Congenital anomaliesare the most common cause of perinatal death
66% of Indigenous mothers attended an antenatal visit in the first trimester in 2018 compared with 50% in 2012