The National Core Maternity Indicators (NCMIs) associated with birth outcomes present information on measures of outcome between 2004 and 2020.
Data for each indicator are presented by jurisdiction of birth, and at the national level by hospital annual number of births, hospital sector, and mother’s Indigenous status. Some indicators are presented by remoteness, disadvantage quintile and other data groupings where relevant.
Birth outcomes:
- In 2020, 1.3% of babies had an Apgar score of less than 7 at 5 minutes.
- The proportion of small babies born at or after term has almost halved over time from 2.1% in 2004 to 1.2% in 2020.
- Around 3% of all vaginal births and 5% of vaginal first births resulted in a third or fourth degree perineal tear, proportions which have remained stable since 2013.
Birth outcome indicators by proportion for baseline year and 2020
|
Measure
|
Baseline
year
|
Baseline
(%)
|
Current year
2020 (%)
|
|
PI04
|
Apgar score of less than 7 at 5 minutes for births at or after term
|
2004
|
0.9
|
1.3
|
|
PI10
|
Small babies among births at or after 40 weeks gestation
|
2004
|
2.1
|
1.2
|
|
PI13
|
Third and fourth degree tears
- for all vaginal first births
- for all vaginal births
|
2013
2013
|
5.2
3.0
|
4.8
2.9
|