Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia
Australia: Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.64 live births per woman
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.54 live births per woman
in 1961
All-time low
1.59 live births per woman
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Australia recorded 1.64 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia peaked at 3.54 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.59 live births per woman, in 2020.
That places Australia 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.06 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.06 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 3.18 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1953 | 3.19 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 3.19 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 3.27 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1956 | 3.33 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 3.42 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 3.42 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 3.44 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 3.45 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.54 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 3.42 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1963 | 3.33 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.15 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 2.98 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1966 | 2.88 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 2.85 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.89 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2.89 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.86 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 2.95 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.74 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1973 | 2.49 live births per woman | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 2.38 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 2.21 live births per woman | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 2.06 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 1977 | 2.02 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 1.96 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.91 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 1.9 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 1.94 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 1.94 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.93 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 1.87 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 1.9 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.87 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 1.85 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.84 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.84 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.91 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 1.86 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 1.89 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.86 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 1.85 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1.82 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.8 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 1.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.76 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.76 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.76 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.78 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.85 live births per woman | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1.88 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.99 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.02 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 1.97 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.95 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.88 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.8 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.74 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.67 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 1.59 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 1.65 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.64 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.64 live births per woman | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.64 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.64 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 77% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.26 live births per woman | 3.06 live births per woman | 3.44 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.14 live births per woman | 2.85 live births per woman | 3.54 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.36 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 2.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 live births per woman | 1.84 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.83 live births per woman | 1.76 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.74 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.82 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 1.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.59 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 143 New Zealand 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 144 Colombia 1.65 live births per woman compare
- 145 France 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 147 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 148 Turkey 1.62 live births per woman compare
- 149 United States 1.62 live births per woman compare
More poverty & inequality data for Australia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 3 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,690 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -0.0446 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 30.36 (2022)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 30.4% (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate -1.54 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia?
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty in Australia was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.54 live births per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty?
- Australia ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.