The most common birthday for babies born in Australia is 17 September, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Analysis of the last 10 years of births data from 2007 to 2016, shows that:
- Of the five most common birthdays, three are in September,
- Two of the five least common birthdays are in December,
- The least common birthday is 25 December (excluding 29 February, which only occurs in leap years).
"These trends are similar in New Zealand, England and Wales, and the United States," Beidar Cho, the ABS Director of Demography, said. "More babies are likely to be conceived around the Christmas/New Year holidays, resulting in more babies born in September and October. Fewer babies are born on public holidays - possibly a result of doctors scheduling deliveries on non-public holidays."
Table: Top 5 most common and least common birthdays over the past 10 years(a)(b)
(a) Based on month and day of birth, 2007-2016.
(b) Days are ranked 1 to 366 by number of births, where 1 is the most common birthday and 366 is the least common birthday. Some days are tied for ranking, as they had the same number of births (eg. September 24th and October 1st).
A total of 311,104 births were registered in Australia in 2016, up from 305,377 in 2015.
In 2016, Australia's total fertility rate was 1.79 babies per woman, the same as in 2015. The total fertility rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers in 2016 was 2.12 babies per woman.
All birthday ranks are in the table below.
Table: Birthday rank over the past 10 years(a)(b)
(a) Based on month and day of birth, 2007-2016.
(b) Days are ranked 1 to 366 by number of births, where 1 is the most common birthday and 366 is the least common birthday. Some days are tied for ranking, as they had the same number of births (eg. September 24th and October 1st).
na not applicable.
