Australia's fertility rate is at a record low

It was a running gag early in the pandemic: all the COVID babies that would be conceived while couples are holed up at home together with little to do but bake sourdough and procreate.

And yet, nearly two years later, the ABC says Australians are not celebrating a baby boom, despite birth spikes in certain places in Australia.

ANU demographer, Doctor Liz Allen says a baby boom requires fertility rates to substantially exceed trend estimates.

She says it's very unlikely Australia will ever see a baby boom again, let alone now during a health and economic crisis like COVID-19.

Australia's not alone. It's following a global trend, with other countries including the UK and US, Italy, Japan and South Korea that are also experiencing significant fertility decline.

Nonetheless it is a major cause for concern.

Doctor Allen says Australia's birth rate continues to be below what is considered necessary for the population to replace itself.

She argues that action is required to stem the trend.

Doctor Allen says the decline in the average number of children per woman is a result of increased education and paid employment for women.

Women are starting families later and consequently having fewer children, and more people are choosing to be child-free.

In Australia, where there's been a long-term downward trend in fertility rates, there was a record low fertility rate of 1.66 babies per woman in 2019.

A federal government report into Australia's future fertility rate projects a drop to 1.59 in 2021.

[Source: ABC]