Australia Experiences Sharpest Drop in Birth Rate Since the 1970s

Australia is in the midst of a baby recession, with some experts attributing the record low birth rate to the cost-of-living pressures. An analysis by KPMG Australia shows the country’s fertility rate fell by 4.6 percent yearly, while the number of births in 2023 was the lowest since 2006. In 2023, 289,100 babies were born in Australia, a significant drop from the 2021 post-lockdown baby boom, which saw 315,200 babies born. This came amid the backdrop of a long-term decline in the total fertility rate, from over two children per woman in 2008 to 1.6 in 2023. KPMG Urban Economic Terry Rawnsley said the country hasn’t seen “such a sharp drop in births” since the period of economic stagflation in the 1970s, which coincided with the initial widespread adoption of the contraceptive pill....