Australia's mothers and babies

Apgar scores are clinical indicators of a baby’s condition shortly after birth. The score is based on 5 characteristics of the baby: skin colour, pulse, breathing, muscle tone and reflex irritability. Each characteristic is given between 0 and 2 points, with a total score between 0 and 10 points.

An Apgar score of 7 or more at 5 minutes after birth indicates that the baby is adapting well to the environment, while a score of less than 7 indicates complications for the baby. Data on Apgar scores are limited to liveborn babies.

In 2023, almost all liveborn babies had an Apgar score of 7 or more. This has been stable at 98% since 2010.

Figure 1 presents trend data on the Apgar score at 5 minutes of liveborn babies, by selected maternal and baby characteristics, between 2010 (or earliest available year of data) and 2023. Select the ‘Current data’ button to view 2023 data.

In 2023, babies who had a higher proportion of Apgar scores less than 7 included:

• low birthweight babies (8.5%)
• pre-term babies (8.4%)
• babies with a breech presentation (5.7%).

Babies with an Apgar score of less than 7 had an increased likelihood of requiring resuscitation and admission to the special care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit (for more information see Active resuscitation method and Admission to a special care nursery or neonatal intensive care unit).