The birth rate in New South Wales is at its lowest point since 2010, with new data revealing a sharp decline in the number of newborns in public hospitals this year.
The Bureau of Health Information’s (BHI) quarterly report showed a dramatic and unprecedented 24 percent drop in births in the first quarter of 2023, when only 15,868 babies were born, the fewest of any quarter since records began in 2010.
This is the first decline of this magnitude in the past 13 years, following a period of strong growth in the number of babies born each quarter which accelerated over the last five years.
Following a temporary increase in the number of births in NSW public hospitals – due to conceptions during Covid-19 lockdowns – the birth rate has now declined, peaking at 19,081 between April and June 2021.
Dr Liz Allen, a demographer from the Australian National University, asserted the decrease in births stemmed from various personal and external factors, such as anxieties surrounding housing availability, increasing living costs, and climate change.
“Young people in Australia and other similar countries have cited climate change as a major concern and obstacle to having children, as the fear of increased unpredictability due to the intensification of weather and climate extremes has led them to become ethically concerned about having children,” Dr Allen told news.com.au.
