Australia’s birth rate is set to fall to a new record low after years of steady decline.
The nation’s total fertility rate (TFR) has remained below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman for nearly 50 years. However, the situation has worsened in recent years.
In 2023, Australia’s fertility rate fell to 1.49, then dropped further to 1.48 in 2024. New data from The Centre for Population indicates that the predicted rate for 2025 was around 1.45, and for 2026, it is expected to decline even further to 1.42—the lowest on record.
Experts say this decline is driven by multiple factors, including Australians having children later in life, older women having fewer children, and many families choosing to stop at one child due to personal or financial reasons. The high costs of raising children—including groceries, housing, and schooling—make larger families increasingly difficult to sustain.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government is rolling out policies to ease pressure on families and make it easier for people to have children if they wish. These include expanding paid parental leave and developing a universal early education and care system.
Despite these efforts, some Australians are choosing to remain childless, while fertility issues affect roughly one in nine couples. Many who want children cannot afford medically assisted reproduction (MAR) methods, such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), or may run out of funds before treatment succeeds. The same challenges apply to same-sex couples and individuals who rely on MAR to have children.
The Centre for Population and 9News.com.au are seeking input from Australians on how the falling birth rate has impacted their families—whether they delayed parenthood for financial reasons, invested heavily in IVF, or decided not to have children at all.
