Births attended by skilled health staff in Australia
Australia: Births attended by skilled health staff was 96.0% in 2020. ▬ Flat
Births attended by skilled health staff in Australia, 1991–2020
Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of total.
Analysis
In 2020, births attended by skilled health staff in Australia stood at 96.0%. That is the lowest value across all 30 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.8% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, births attended by skilled health staff in Australia peaked at 99.8% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 96.0%, in 2020.
Australia ranks 104th of 169 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Births attended by skilled health staff in Australia, year by year
| Year | % of total | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 99.6% | — |
| 1992 | 99.3% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 99.3% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 99.4% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 99.3% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 99.2% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 99.1% | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 99.1% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 99.2% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 99.0% | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 99.8% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 98.8% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 98.8% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 99.4% | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 98.7% | -0.7% |
| 2019 | 98.8% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 96.0% | -2.8% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 96.0% is below the median for high income countries, which is 99.5%, 96% of the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Australia's 96.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.8%, 99% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 99.3% | 99.3% | 99.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 99.3% | 99.1% | 99.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 99.1% | 98.7% | 99.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More health data for Australia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.83 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.9072 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 906.6 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 215 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2021)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.45 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0279 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.35 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is births attended by skilled health staff in Australia?
- Births attended by skilled health staff in Australia was 96.0% in 2020, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 2014.
- What is the lowest births attended by skilled health staff recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 96.0% in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for births attended by skilled health staff?
- Australia ranks 104th out of 169 countries with data for 2020.
- Is births attended by skilled health staff rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Births attended by skilled health staff (% of total). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Births attended by skilled health staff are the percentage of deliveries attended by personnel trained to give the necessary supervision, care, and advice to women during pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period; to conduct deliveries on their own; and to care for newborns.