For the first time, researchers have counted the number of babies born via IVF globally, revealing a total of 13 to 17 million births since the procedure began in 1978.
A world-first study found that between 10 and 13 million IVF babies were born up to 2018, with a further 3–4 million births estimated between 2018 and 2024.
Professor Georgina Chambers, lead author of the study and Director of UNSW’s National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, noted that IVF births have grown exponentially in recent years.
The study, published in Fertility and Sterility, is based on data from 1978 to 2018 collected by the International Committee Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART).
Australia played a pioneering role in IVF history, becoming the third country to deliver an IVF baby in 1983 and the first to establish a national IVF registry.
Today, one in every 16 babies in Australia is conceived through IVF, rising to one in 10 for women over 35.
IVF is most commonly used in high-income countries like Australia, where access is supported by government funding and regulation.
Professor David Adamson, Chair of ICMART, explained that IVF is complex and costly, requiring skilled personnel, medications, and high-tech laboratories—making it inaccessible in many parts of the world without public funding.
Advances in embryo freezing and single embryo transfers have significantly reduced the risk of multiple births, improving safety for mothers and babies.
Australia is a global leader in reducing IVF-related multiple births, with over 93% of IVF cycles now involving a single embryo transfer and a multiple birth rate below 3%.
