“The Brisbane CBD and surrounding areas tend to have high-density dwellings, less well-designed for families, and often house cohorts that are less likely to have children in these locations, such as international students. It is no surprise that the fertility rates in these areas are extremely low.”
Nationally, Australia’s fertility rate has been declining for years, from an average of more than two children per woman in 2008 to about 1.6 in 2023, with the ageing population more dependent than ever on strong overseas migration.
Last year, 289,100 babies were born, down 4.6 per cent compared with 2022. It was the lowest annual level since 2006, and the largest annual drop since 1975, when Australia was battling stagflation, a combination of soaring inflation and low growth.
Demographer Matthew Deacon, from Demographic Solutions, said the reality of renting was “acting as a great contraceptive”, along with other pressures faced by younger people, such as higher education debts and the reality of living with parents or in group houses for longer.
“There are young people now who are doing between five and seven years’ more education than their parents, and probably 10 years more than their grandparents,” Deacon said.
Read the full article here
