Report at a glance

Key findings

The key findings are:​​

• ​The number of babies born in NSW decreased from 95,133 in 2019 to 88,297 in 2023, an overall decrease of 7.2%. The number of births in NSW has been declining since 2016, with the exception of an increase in 2021.
  
• The percentage of women who gave birth in NSW in 2023 and reported a smoke-free pregnancy has remained stable at 91.9%. Of mothers who smoked in the first half of pregnancy, 33.2% stopped smoking by the second half of pregnancy.
• Of mothers who gave birth in NSW in 2023, 51.5% were in the healthy weight range, 28.3% were overweight and 17.4% were obese.​
• The rate of gestational diabetes in women who gave birth in NSW rose from 13.9% in 2019 to 16.0% in 2023.
• The overall rate of hypertension in pregnancy rose from 4.8% in 2019 to 5.4% in women who gave birth in NSW in 2023.
• The percentage of mothers who gave birth in NSW and were teenagers fell from 1.7% in 2019 to 1.4% in 2023. Over the same ​period the percentage of women aged 35 years and over who gave birth in NSW rose from 25.9% to 28.5%.
• The rate of vaginal birth without intervention decreased from 53.0% in 2019 to 49.9% in 2023, while the rate of assisted vaginal birth remained steady at just under 11% in 2023. The caesarean section rate increased from 35.1% in 2019 to 39.2% in 2023. 
• In 2023, operative and assisted vaginal births were more common among privately insured mothers who gave birth in NSW compared to mothers without private insurance. Among privately insured mothers who gave birth in NSW, the rate of vaginal birth decreased from 41.4% in 2019 to 38.6% in 2023 and the caesarean section rate increased from 44.8% to 49.8%. Among mothers without private insurance who gave birth in NSW, the rate of vaginal birth decreased from 59.0% to 55.2% and the caesarean section rate increased from 30.0% to 34.3%.
• In 2023, of the women who gave birth in NSW, 98.6% birthed in a hospital or birth centre, 0.6% had a planned homebirth and 0.7% birthed before arrival at a hospital or birth centre. ​
  
• The percentage of babies born prematurely (less than 37 weeks gestation) in NSW has been stable for the last 5 years. In 2023, 7.4% of all babies born in NSW were born prematurely.
• The percentage of babies born with a low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) in NSW has remained stable in recent years. In 2023, 6.8% of all babies born in NSW were low birthweight.
• The percentage of babies born small for gestational age (birthweight less than the 10th percentile for liveborn babies of the same gestational age and sex) in NSW has been stable since 2019. In 2023, 10.6% of babies born in NSW were small for gestational age.   
• Between 2019 and 2023, the reported number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW increased from 4,416 to 5,170, an increase from 4.7% to 6.0% of all mothers who gave birth in NSW.
• The percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers gave birth in NSW and were teenagers decreased from 10.5% in 2019 to 8.5% in 2023. The percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers aged 35 years or over who gave birth in NSW increased from 9.5% in 2019 to 11.0% in 2023.
• In 2023, 36.9% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW reported smoking at some time during pregnancy, an improvement from 43.2% in 2019.
• In 2023, 11.4% of babies born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers in NSW were of low birthweight, 12.1% were premature and 12.1% were small for gestational age.
• In 2022, 1,832 babies with 2,979 congenital conditions were reported to the NSW Register of Congenital Conditions. From 2013 to 2022, cardiovascular system conditions were the most common congenital conditions reported (9,248), followed by conditions of the genitourinary system (5,338) and musculoskeletal system (4,816).
• In 2023, the perinatal mortality rate was higher for babies born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers in NSW (12.2 per 1,000 births compared to 8.3 per 1,000 births). 
• In 2022, there were 626 stillbirths and 196 neonatal deaths recorded on the Maternal and Child Health Register. The most common cause of perinatal death was congenital conditions (28.3%), followed by spontaneous pre-term labour or rupture of membranes (15.8%). ​