In brief
In Canberra, the Australian Bureau of Statistics disclosed that 299,903 births were registered in 2025, up 2.6% from the previous year, while the national fertility rate edged to 1.497 babies per woman. Tasmania recorded the highest rate at 1.568, whereas the Australian Capital Territory had the lowest at 1.283. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women had a fertility rate of 2.234, accounting for 26,733 births or 8.9% of all births.
In Canberra, Australian authorities announced that 299,903 births were registered in 2025, an increase of 2.6% from the previous year, according to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The figure marks the third consecutive rise in birth registrations, even as the country’s total fertility rate remains well below international benchmarks.
ABS head of population statistics Beidar Cho reported that the national fertility rate climbed to 1.497 babies per woman in 2025 from 1.481 in 2024. However, Cho emphasized that the rate “is well below the 1.8 babies per woman seen a decade earlier in 2015.” The Australian population of women of childbearing age has also grown, rising from 5.7 million in 2015 to 6.6 million in 2025.
State‑level data reveal a widening gap in fertility. Tasmania posted the highest fertility rate at 1.568 babies per woman, while the Australian Capital Territory recorded the lowest at 1.283. Cho notes that, despite the 2025 increase, fertility rates have declined across all states and territories over the last decade.
Among Indigenous Australians, fertility rates differ markedly. The fertility rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women stood at 2.234 babies per woman last year. The ABS counted 26,733 births registered among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in 2025, a share of 8.9 percent of all births.
The data suggest that Australia’s demographic landscape continues to evolve, with modest gains in birth registrations offset by persistently low fertility rates. While the increase in registered births may temporarily lift overall population figures, the long‑term trend toward lower fertility suggests challenges for future workforce size and economic growth.
“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,” said Beidar Cho in a statement to the press.
Statisticians and policy analysts alike point to these figures as a warning that Australia’s demographic trajectory may stagnate without broader measures to support families and address the underlying causes of low birth rates.
