Overview

A newborn baby's health can be a key determinant of their health and wellbeing throughout life. Factors such as physical health, social wellbeing and exposure to harmful behaviours can influence health outcomes for both mothers and babies.

More reports and statistics on mothers & babies can be found under Children & youth and Men & women.

Latest findings

Advances in paediatric cardiac care has led to more adults living with congenital heart disease There were almost 5,000 congenital heart disease hospitalisations in 2016–17 Around 9 in every 1,000 live births are affected by congenital heart disease. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have a higher incidence of maternal death than non-Indigenous women The most common causes of maternal deaths in Australia are heart disease and non-obstetric haemorrhage There were 70 infant deaths from congenital heart disease in 2017, comprising 6.9% of all infant deaths

Latest reports

See all reports

Highlights

30.6 yearsis the average age of women who give birth
6 per 100,000was the maternal mortality ratio in 2017
Almost 1 in 100pregnancies at or beyond 20 weeks gestation ends with the death of a baby
1 in 8mothers had a second birth vaginally after having their first birth by caesarean section
35%35% of mothers delivered by caesarean section in 2017 compared with 31% in 2007
44%44% of Indigenous mothers smoked during pregnancy in 2017, a decrease from 52% in 2009
Congenital anomaliesare the most common cause of perinatal death
63%63% of Indigenous mothers attended an antenatal visit in the first trimester in 2017 compared with 50% in 2012