The chart illustrates the proportion of women in Australia who gave birth to their first child in 1966, 1986, and 2006, categorized by age group.
Overall, it can be seen that the figures for women aged 30-34 and 34-39 increased significantly across the period, while the proportions for those aged under 19 and 19-24 declined sharply. In addition, the percentages for the 25-30 and over-40 age groups showed fluctuations between the three years.
In 1966, the highest proportion was recorded among women aged 19-24, at around 62%. This figure dropped sharply to about 37% in 1986 and declined further to approximately 29% in 2006. Similarly, the percentage of mothers aged under 19 fell from 35% in 1966 to 20% in 1986, before decreasing slightly to around 12% in 2006. In contrast, the percentage of women giving birth at older ages rose. For the 30-34 age group, the figure increased from about 12% in 1966 to 19% in 1986, before rising dramatically to 45% in 2006. A similar pattern can be seen among women aged 34-39, whose proportion grew from around 9% in 1966 to 18% in 1986, and then climbed to 30% in 2006.
Meanwhile, the 25-30 age group experienced notable fluctuations. It accounted for approximately 37% in 1966 and peaked at about 50% in 1986, before dropping to 39% in 2006. Lastly, the proportion of women aged 40 and above remained the lowest across the period, starting at around 3% in 1966, decreasing slightly to 2% in 1986, and then rising modestly to 5% in 2006.