Maternal age

The average age of mothers has been rising over time, for both first-time mothers (from 27.9 years in 2009 to 29.4 in 2019) and those who have given birth previously (from 31.0 years in 2009 to 31.9 in 2019). The highest proportion of mothers were aged between 30 and 34  (more than one-third (36%) of all mothers).

The figure shows a bar chart for maternal age group by a range of topics for 2019 and a line graph for topic trends between 2009 and 2019. In 2019, 185,958 women were aged between 25 and 34 years.

The proportion of mothers  teenage mothers (aged under 20) has decreased over time (4.0% in 2009 compared with 1.9% in 2019), and the proportion of mothers aged 40 and over has increased (4.0% in 2009 compared with 4.5% in 2019).

Mothers aged 29 or under were more likely than those aged 30 and over to be public patients and to give birth in public hospitals.

Three in five Indigenous mothers were aged between 20 and 29 (60%), with most aged 20–24 (31%). The proportion of Indigenous teenage mothers (aged under 20) has been falling over time, from 20% in 2009 to 11% in 2019, with a corresponding increase in those aged 25–29 (from 24% to 29%).