Australia Experiences Rise in Fertility Rate Post Pandemic

(Courtesy of Soli)

Australia is seeing a rise in post-COVID-19 birth rates after the pandemic saw a drop in fertility rates.

According to the federal government’s latest annual population statement, to be released in full on Friday, Australia’s birth rate fell to 1.58 births per woman during the first year of the pandemic.

Commenting on the bounceback, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers said, “we want the right balance between homegrown population growth and a sensible migration program.”

“At the same time as we make sure that we’ve got the kind of workforce that can support an ageing population,” he said, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

“Our approach addresses workforce shortages in a number of ways —making it easier for patients to work more if they want to, training more Australians for skills shortages which have been building for a decade, and improving our migration program, which is the focus of the migration review being led by Clare O’Neil.”

Birth Rate Recovers After Falling to Lowest in Thirteen Years

This comes after the latest report by Australia’s national health and wellbeing agency released in July revealed that the country had hit its lowest birth rate in 13 years, as the average age of first-time parents continues to increase.

During the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the number of babies born declined by about 7,100, or a drop of over two percent, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report.

However, over the past ten years, stillbirth and newborn death rates have remained between seven and eight for every 1,000 births and between two and three for every 1,000 live births.

But despite the post-COVID bounceback the fertility rate is still expected to continue to decline in the long term.

The consistent decline in birth rates will inevitably see the median age of Australians rise to 42.8 by 2026.

Meanwhile, the University of Melbourne’s Prof. Peter McDonald said changes to women’s lifestyles were a contributing factor behind the decline in birth rates overall.

“Women are certainly increasing their education levels greatly. Back 20 years ago, John Howard was talking about one-and-a-half incomes with the wife working part-time. That’s becoming increasingly less the case,” he told ABC Radio. 

“Because Australia runs a large migration program and migrants come in at very young ages, they have their babies. And that compensates for the deficit of births,” he said.

“Australia’s population without migration would start to fall in about ten years’ time.”

The more detailed population report is set to be released on Friday.

Jessie Zhang contributed to this article.