Australia's Fertility Rate Rises to 1.497
The rate edged up in 2025 from a record low, though housing and living costs continue to push couples to delay starting families.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Pregnancy
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Australia's fertility rate rose to 1.497 babies per woman in 2025, up from a record low of 1.481 in 2024. Registered births increased by 2.6 per cent to 299,903, a three-year high.
Why it matters
Housing and living costs are the main reason couples are starting families later, and Reserve Bank interest rate rises in 2026 have raised concerns that fertility could decline again. Treasury expects deaths to outnumber births from the 2060s.
The fertility rate of 1.497 in 2025 compares with a record low of 1.481 in 2024 and 1.631 in 2022. Boys made up 51.5 per cent of newborns, and the median age of women giving birth is 32.
The players
Reserve Bank of Australia
Australia's central bank, which sets the cash rate and has been raising interest rates in 2026 after cutting them three times in 2025.
Mark McCrindle
An Australian demographer who commented that soaring mortgage costs are causing couples to delay starting families.
The details
Demographer Mark McCrindle said soaring mortgage costs lead couples to delay starting families, and couples often want to own a home, including an apartment or townhouse, before having children. Net overseas migration accounts for three-quarters of Australia's population increase.
Timeline
2008: The fertility rate last reached 2.0 during the Global Financial Crisis.
2011: Julia Gillard replaced the baby bonus with a paid parental leave scheme.
2024: The fertility rate hit a record low of 1.481.
2025: The fertility rate rose to 1.497 and the Reserve Bank cut interest rates three times.
2026: The Reserve Bank has raised interest rates five times so far this year.
Life Trajectory
Australia's fertility rate last reached 2.0 in 2008, during the Global Financial Crisis, and has declined since. The 2025 rise to 1.497 remains far below that peak and the replacement level of 2.1 that was first breached in 1976.
For couples weighing when to start a family, the extraction shows housing and living costs are the leading reason for delay. Those considering buying a home first may find that mortgage costs, which have risen with recent interest rate hikes, affect the timing of their plans.
The takeaway
Housing and living costs are currently the main factor shaping when Australians start families, so couples planning a pregnancy may need to weigh the timing of home purchases and mortgage repayments alongside their family goals.
Further reading
For more on how family planning is shaped by everyday costs, see Pregnancy coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Nightly.
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