Australia's Birth Rate to Fall Below Death Rate by 2060s

Australia’s birth rate is predicted to decline further, with deaths projected to exceed births by the 2060s. The Australian Treasury’s 2026 Intergenerational Report indicates that housing insecurity and other factors are causing people to postpone having children. This demographic trend will make migration the main driver of population growth in the coming decades.

• Australia’s low birth rate is projected to fall further.
• Deaths are expected to outnumber births by the 2060s.
• Housing insecurity and other factors contribute to people delaying having children.
• Migration will be the main driver of population growth in the future.
• This is the first time an intergenerational report has predicted more deaths than births.
• The current fertility rate of 1.48 children per woman is projected to fall to 1.34 by 2065–66.
• A brief recovery to 1.5 children per woman is expected in the early 2030s.