In brief
Australia logged nearly 300,000 registered births in 2025, up 2.6% from the previous year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The total fertility rate edged up slightly to 1.497, yet remains well below the historical low of 1.5. State‑level disparities persist, with Tasmania posting the highest rate and the Australian Capital Territory the lowest, while births among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians accounted for 8.9 percent of all registrations.
CANBERRA – Australian parents are welcoming a new, slightly larger wave of babies. In 2025, the country recorded 299,903 registered births, a 2.6 percent jump over 2024, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The data, released on Friday, also show the national fertility rate rising to 1.497 infants per woman.
The ABS reports that the number of women in child‑bearing age has climbed from 5.7 million in 2015 to 6.6 million in 2025, a trend that has helped drive the slight uptick in births despite the long‑running trend of low fertility. “This is the third consecutive year the total fertility rate for Australia has been below 1.5 and is well below the 1.8 babies per woman seen a decade earlier in 2015,” Beidar Cho, head of population statistics at the ABS, said in a statement.
State‑by‑state comparisons reveal persistent gaps. Tasmania topped the country with a fertility rate of 1.568 babies per woman, while the Australian Capital Territory posted the lowest rate at 1.283. The ABS noted that all states and territories have seen a decline in fertility over the past decade.
Indigenous Birth Trends
The number of births among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians has increased, with 26,733 registrations last year—a figure that represents 8.9 percent of all Australian births. The corresponding fertility rate for these women stands at a markedly higher 2.234 babies per woman, underscoring wider demographic disparities.
Overall Australia remains well below the 1.5 fertility threshold that governments often consider necessary to maintain population levels without significant immigration. The modest rise in 2025 will be closely watched as policymakers assess the long‑term implications for youth services, education, and health infrastructure.
