Australia's mothers and babies

The health and birth experiences of both mothers and babies have important ongoing implications for them as well as for the broader society. The health and wellbeing of a woman prior to becoming pregnant and during their pregnancy, and the services and support they receive, can have protective or detrimental effects for their labour and birth, the outcomes for their baby and for everyone in the community.

Factors such as a mother’s age and where they live can impact on both maternal and perinatal health and the different models of maternity care available to them. Being supported to maintain a healthy lifestyle and having access to high quality maternity care contributes to better outcomes for both mother and baby. Additionally, the health of a baby at birth is a key determinant of their health and wellbeing throughout life.

This page uses data from the National Perinatal Data Collection, the National Maternal Mortality Data Collection, the National Perinatal Mortality Data Collection and the Maternity Model of Care Data Set (MoC DS) to explore aspects of pregnancy and childbirth as well as key outcomes for babies at birth. These data collections are coordinated by the AIHW in collaboration with the state and territory governments and maternity services, with data provided from all public and private maternity services across Australia.

Many of the demographics, characteristics and outcomes for mothers and babies in Australia are similar from year to year. However, trends over time can reveal interesting patterns. This section presents long-term trends for key topics, from 1998 (or earliest available year of data) to 2023.

For information on mothers and babies from different population groups, such as mothers who were born overseas and mothers who lived in remote areas, see the data broken down by these topics throughout the chapters in this report.

See information on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people throughout this report, including the Focus population groups and Stillbirths and neonatal deaths sections and a separate report on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies.

Mothers

Select the topic of interest and hover over the line graph (Figure 1) to view data on selected maternal trends from 1998 (or earliest available year of data).

Birth rate continues to decline, with the 2023 rate the lowest in the 26 years reported here

In 2023, there were 285,305 babies born to 281,099 mothers in Australia, and the rate of women of reproductive age (aged 15 to 44 years) giving birth was 52 per 1,000 women (Figure 1).

This is the lowest birth rate in the period from 1998 to 2023 and continues a generally decreasing trend since 2007, when the birth rate was 66 per 1,000 women.

Mothers are giving birth later in life

The average age of women who gave birth has steadily increased from 28.9 years in 1998 to 31.3 in 2023; while the average age for first-time mothers has also increased (from 28.3 in 2010 to 29.9 years in 2023) (Figure 1).

Over time, the proportion of women giving birth aged 35 and over has increased (from 23% in 2010 to 28% in 2023), while the proportion aged under 25 has decreased (18% to 11%). For more information, see Maternal demographics.

One in 9 mothers in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia had continuity of carer using a midwifery group practice model of care

In 2023, midwifery group practice caseload care was used by 11% of women who gave birth in Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

The proportion of women who used this model of care in these jurisdictions was higher among First Nations women (29%), and younger mothers (23% of women aged under 20).

Most mothers accessed antenatal care

The proportion of mothers accessing antenatal care is increasing, as is the proportion of mothers having 5 or more antenatal care visits. In 2023, 79% of women who gave birth accessed antenatal care in the first trimester of their pregnancy (an increase from 61% in 2013), and 95% had 5 or more antenatal care visits (an increase from 93% in 2018).

Also in 2023, in relation to the Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines recommendations:

• 60% of all mothers had antenatal care within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy
• 57% of women pregnant for the first time had 10 or more antenatal care visits
• 84% of pregnant women who have previously had an uncomplicated pregnancy had 7 or more antenatal care visits (Department of Health and Aged Care 2025).

For more information, see Antenatal period.

The majority of women do not consume alcohol during pregnancy and fewer mothers are smoking during pregnancy

In 2023, the majority of women reported they did not consume alcohol during pregnancy (96% in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and 98% after 20 weeks). This is a slight increase since reporting began in 2020 (94% and 96%, respectively).

The proportion of women who reported smoking at any time during pregnancy has fallen from 13% in 2011 to 7.8% in 2023. Of mothers who reported smoking at the start of their pregnancy, around 3 in 10 (28%) quit smoking during the pregnancy.

There has been a change in the rate of inductions, the previously increasing rate has declined over the last 3 years

The rate of induction has fluctuated over time. Between 1998 and 2012 the induction rate was around 25-27%. There was then a year-on-year increase from 28% in 2013 to a peak of 36% in 2020, before declining in three consecutive years to 33% in 2023 (Figure 1).

The rate of spontaneous labour has decreased over time (from 56% in 2010 to 40% in 2023), whereas the rate of no labour has increased (from 19% in 2010 to 27% in 2023).

The caesarean section rate continues to rise

The rate of women giving birth by caesarean section rose every year from 2004 (29%) to 2023 (41%) (Figure 1).

Conversely over a similar period, the proportion of mothers who had a non-instrumental vaginal birth fell (from 56% in 2010 to 48% in 2023). The proportion of instrumental vaginal births has ranged between 11% and 13% over the period from 2010 to 2023.

For more information, see Labour and birth.

More First Nations mothers are accessing antenatal care and fewer are smoking during pregnancy

There were improvements over the past decade in antenatal care access by First Nations mothers in the first trimester (increase from 51% in 2013 to 70% in 2023) and smoking at any time during pregnancy (decrease from 49% in 2011 to 38% in 2023).

For more information, see First Nations mothers and babies.

The number of maternal deaths has significantly declined over the past 50 years

Maternal death (the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy) is rare in Australia. All maternal deaths are reviewed by health professionals to determine the likely cause – a process that can take many months to complete and for the data to be finalised.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data are available, there were 23 maternal deaths nationwide. This represents a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 8.2 deaths per 100,000 women giving birth, an increase from the previous year.

Due to the small number of maternal deaths in a year, it can be difficult to interpret the trend in maternal mortality over time using single year rates. Using a ‘triennia’ approach (aggregating three years of data) can assist.

Over the past 50 years, the rate has fluctuated at times but overall Australia's MMR has significantly declined, from 12.7 in 1973–1975. Prior to the most recent period, the rate of maternal death had decreased in each of the preceding 4 triennia, from 7.7 in 2009–2011 to 6.3 in 2018–2020. However, this triennium (2021–2023) shows an increase in the MMR, to 6.7 per 100,000 women giving birth. The MMR will be monitored as more data are available.

The leading causes of maternal deaths in Australia between 2014 and 2023 were cardiovascular disease, sepsis, suicide and thromboembolism.

For more information, see Maternal deaths.

Babies

Select the topic of interest and hover over the line graph (Figure 2) to view data on selected baby trends from 1998 (or earliest available year of data).

Of the babies born in 2023, more than half were male (51% male, 49% female), and less than 3% were part of a multiple birth. For information on the liveborn ratio of male to female babies see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data table 3.2.

9 in 10 babies were born at term

In 2023, the median gestational age was 39 weeks (which has been stable since 2004) and 91% of babies were born at term (37 to 41 weeks).

Between 2004 and 2023, there was little change in the proportion of pre-term (less than 37 weeks’ gestation) births, fluctuating between 8.1% and 8.7%; it was 8.4% in 2023 (Figure 2).

Rates of low birthweight are stable

In 2023, 92% of liveborn babies were born with a normal birthweight. This proportion has been stable since 2010.

Since 1998, the rate of low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) babies has ranged between 6.1% and 6.7%; it was 6.6% in 2023 (Figure 2).

Most babies had an Apgar score over 7 and did not require resuscitation

The vast majority (98%) of liveborn babies in 2023 had an Apgar score of 7 or more at 5 minutes after birth. This proportion has been stable since 2010.

In 2023, 79 per 100 liveborn babies did not require resuscitation. Where resuscitation was required, continuous positive airway ventilation (CPAP) was the most common method.

In Australia, one baby is stillborn every 3.5 hours

In 2023, 11.1 per 1,000 babies (3,178) died in the perinatal period. Of these deaths, around 4 in 5 were stillbirths (2,491, or 8.7 deaths per 1,000 births) and 1 in 5 were neonatal deaths (687, or 2.4 deaths per 1,000 live births).

The neonatal death rate has ranged between 2.2 and 3.2 per 1,000 live births over 2004 to 2023. From 2021 to 2023, the rate has been stable at 2.4. In contrast, the stillbirth rate in 2023 was the highest reported in over twenty years; a continuation of increasing stillbirth rates observed in recent years.

This upward trend in the stillbirth rate may be due to several factors, including but not limited to: fluctuations in the underlying birth rate which may be associated with a change in the profile of women giving birth; improved notification of stillbirths in some jurisdictions (in part due to legislative changes); an increase in stillbirths; and increasing numbers of terminations of pregnancy after 20 weeks’ gestation, which is the threshold for inclusion in the NPDC and the NPMDC. Legislative changes in some jurisdictions have expanded access to termination services beyond 20 weeks, while constrained access to care in some areas may result in terminations occurring later in pregnancy, and thus being captured in the NPMDC and NPDC. As a result, care should be taken when interpreting this trend data.

For more information, see Stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

Where do I go for more information?

For more information on the health of mothers and babies, see:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers and babies
• Congenital anomalies in Australia
• Maternity models of care in Australia
• National Core Maternity Indicators
• Older mothers in Australia.

References

Department of Health and Aged Care (2025) Australian pregnancy care guidelines, version 7, Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Government, accessed 26 June 2025.