The Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) of 40-44 year-old women in Australia from 1989 to the present day is illustrated in the first chart. The percentage of women having their first babies in different age groups between 2008 and 2018 is shown in the second chart.
In general, the most common age for women to have their first child is 25-29 year-old and decreased significantly in their forties, in line with a slight decline in the average number of children born to women aged 40–44 during the period.
In the first chart, it is evident that the average number of children born to women aged 40–44 has decreased over time. In 1989, women in this age group had an average of 3.2 children. By 1999, this figure had dropped slightly to around 2.6 children, continuing to fall to just above 2.0 children in 2009 and now the average number of children born to women in this age group is 1.9 children.
The second chart highlights the age distribution of women becoming mothers for the first time. In 2008, the majority of first-time mothers were aged 25–29, with nearly 25% of births occurring in this group and by 2018, this percentage was just above 22.5%. Even though it had a downward trend, the rate of women aged 30-34 years who had their first child in 2018 was higher compared to 2008 in the same age group. Then, the percentage dropped steadily in the higher age groups, seen the percentage of women having a first birth aged 35-39 falling significantly to 5% in 2008 and 8% in 2018, followed by a noticeable decline in first births occurring among women aged 40-49 was very low across both years around 1% and 3%.