South Australia’s baby bump bucks birthing trend: Almost 400 more bubs born here in 2019 than the previous year

It’s not a baby boom, more a bubs bump – but for some reason SA is recording more births while numbers fall in other states. See how many were born in your area!

Almost 400 more births were registered in SA in 2019, compared to 2018, according to new statistics released by the ABS.

South Australia has bucked a national baby trend by recording an increase in the number of births, even as most other states remain in decline.

Figures released this month by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show almost 400 more babies were born in SA in 2019, compared to 2018, the largest increase in Australia.

This compares to Victoria where more than 1200 fewer babies were born. Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory also recorded less registrations of births in 2019.

Nationally, 9315 fewer babies (305,832) were born in 2019, which represents a 3 per cent drop.

In SA, 19,526 bubs were welcomed into the world in 2019, up from 19,154, representing an increase of 1.9 per cent (or 372 more babies).

Salisbury had the most number of new babies of all SA local government areas with 1984 birth registrations in 2019 followed by Onkaparinga (1948), Port Adelaide Enfield (1779),

Playford (1580), Charles Sturt (1316), Marion (1173) and Tea Tree Gully (1062).

But according to the statisticians, the results are more baby bump than boom with fertility rates continuing on a downward trend, both in SA and across the country.

ABS Demographic Analysis and Reporting assistant director Mohammed Shahidullah said the rise comes after two years of fewer birth registrations.

“The most number of babies born in SA in the past five years was 2016, when there were around 19,800 births, before it decreased in 2017 and 2018,” he said.

He said significantly more women were choosing to have babies later in life, with a decline in the number of teenagers and women aged 20 to 24 giving birth in 2019.

“Falling fertility can be explained by two main factors: women having children at later ages and the average number of children per woman has been falling over time,” Dr Shahidullah said.

Australia’s total fertility rate was 1.66 babies per woman in 2019, decreasing from 1.97 babies per woman since 2009.

For births registered in 2019, the median age for mums was 31.5 years and for dads, 33.5 years, increasing from 30.5 and 33 respectively.

While statistics for 2020 won’t be available until this time next year, leading social researcher Mark McCrindle tips there’ll be fewer babies in the wake of the global pandemic.

“Much has been made of the lockdown babies – a forecast that we will see a boom of ‘Covidians’ or ‘Coronials’ – but previous periods of global uncertainty and economic declines (show us) birth rates are impaired in such times,” he said.

“For couples to start a family, or grow their families, prospective parents tend to wait for economic optimism and social stability.”