Latest findings
In 2019, 298,567 women gave birth to 303,054 babies
The birth rate has declined from 64.6 per 1,000 women in 2009 to 57.6 in 2019
Maternal death was 5 times more likely in women who smoked during pregnancy compared with women who did not smoke
More than half (55%) of mothers aged 40 and over gave birth by caesarean section
Almost half (46%) of Indigenous mothers aged 40 and over had given birth at least 4 times previously
2 in 7 mothers aged 35 or over were giving birth for the first-time