Infant health: low birthweight in Australia
Australia: Infant health: low birthweight was 6.6 Percentage of live births in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
6.6 Percentage of live births
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
27th
of 41 countries
All-time high
6.7 Percentage of live births
in 2017
All-time low
5.4 Percentage of live births
in 1984
Years of data
41
1983–2023
Infant health: low birthweight in Australia, 1983–2023
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of live births.
Analysis
Australia recorded 6.6 Percentage of live births for infant health: low birthweight in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.5% on the previous year and up 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, infant health: low birthweight in Australia peaked at 6.7 Percentage of live births in 2017 and was at its lowest, 5.4 Percentage of live births, in 1984.
That places Australia 27th out of 41 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Infant health: low birthweight in Australia, year by year
| Year | Percentage of live births | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 5.6 Percentage of live births | — |
| 1984 | 5.4 Percentage of live births | -3.6% |
| 1985 | 5.8 Percentage of live births | +7.4% |
| 1986 | 5.7 Percentage of live births | -1.7% |
| 1987 | 5.9 Percentage of live births | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 6 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 6.1 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1990 | 6.1 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5.9 Percentage of live births | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 5.8 Percentage of live births | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 5.9 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 5.8 Percentage of live births | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 5.9 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 6 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 6.1 Percentage of live births | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 6.1 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 6.3 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +3.2% |
| 2003 | 6.3 Percentage of live births | -1.6% |
| 2004 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 6.1 Percentage of live births | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 6.3 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 6.2 Percentage of live births | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 6.4 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 6.5 Percentage of live births | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 6.5 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6.7 Percentage of live births | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 6.7 Percentage of live births | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 6.6 Percentage of live births | -1.5% |
| 2020 | 6.5 Percentage of live births | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 6.3 Percentage of live births | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 6.5 Percentage of live births | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 6.6 Percentage of live births | +1.5% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 6.6 Percentage of live births is below the median for high income countries, which is 6.85 Percentage of live births, 96% of the median. (30 countries reporting)
- Australia's 6.6 Percentage of live births is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.4 Percentage of live births, 79% of the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5.79 Percentage of live births | 5.4 Percentage of live births | 6.1 Percentage of live births | 7 |
| 1990s | 5.98 Percentage of live births | 5.8 Percentage of live births | 6.2 Percentage of live births | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.29 Percentage of live births | 6.1 Percentage of live births | 6.4 Percentage of live births | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.45 Percentage of live births | 6.2 Percentage of live births | 6.7 Percentage of live births | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.47 Percentage of live births | 6.3 Percentage of live births | 6.6 Percentage of live births | 4 |
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 infant health: low birthweight in Australia?
- Infant health: low birthweight in Australia was 6.6 Percentage of live births in 2023, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.7 Percentage of live births in 2017.
- What is the lowest infant health: low birthweight recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4 Percentage of live births in 1984.
- How does Australia rank for infant health: low birthweight?
- Australia ranks 27th out of 41 countries with data for 2023.
- Is infant health: low birthweight rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Infant health: low birthweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
This dataset presents time series on the number of live births weighing less than 2500 grams as a percentage of the total number of live births. Please refer to the Sources and Methods for detailed country-specific information.