Report at a glance

Key findings

The key findings are:

• The number of births in NSW decreased from 95,552 in 2018 to 91,634 in 2022, an overall decrease of 4.1%. The number of births had been declining in the intervening years, with the exception of the increase in 2021.
• In 2022, of mothers who gave birth in NSW, 52.8% were in the healthy weight range, 27.3% were overweight and 17.1% were obese.
• The percentage of women who gave birth in NSW that reported a smoke-free pregnancy has remained stable in recent years at around 91-92%.
• The rate of gestational diabetes in women who gave birth in NSW rose from 13.7% in 2018 to 16.2% in 2022.
• The overall rate of hypertension in pregnancy in women who gave birth in NSW rose from 4.5% in 2018 to 5.3% in 2022.
• The percentage of women who gave birth in NSW and were teenagers fell from 1.9% in 2018 to 1.4% in 2022. Over the same period the percentage of women who gave birth in NSW aged 35 years and over rose from 25.1% to 27.8%.
• The rate of normal vaginal birth decreased from 53.6% in 2018 to 50.2% in 2022. The caesarean section rate increased from 34.4% to 38.4% while the rate of instrumental birth remained steady at just under 12%.
• Operative and instrumental births were more common among privately insured mothers who gave birth in NSW in 2022. Among privately insured mothers who gave birth in NSW, the rate of normal vaginal birth decreased from 42.5% in 2018 to 38.6% in 2022 and the caesarean section rate increased from 43.9% to 49.4%. Among mothers without private insurance who gave birth in NSW, the rate of normal vaginal birth decreased from 59.0% to 55.4% and the caesarean section rate increased from 29.8% to 33.6%.
• In 2022, the majority of mothers who gave birth in NSW, planned to give birth in a hospital labour ward and 4.1% of mothers planned to give birth in a birth centre. Forty-nine per cent of mothers who gave birth in NSW and planned to give birth in a birth centre actually did so. The total number of reported planned homebirths in NSW increased from 301 in 2018 to 698 in 2022, and the percentage of planned homebirths that occurred at home increased from 78.1% in 2018 to 87.1% in 2022.
• The percentage of babies born prematurely (less than 37 weeks gestation) in NSW has been stable for the last 5 years. In 2022, 7.3% of all babies born in NSW were born prematurely.
• The percentage of babies born in NSW with a low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) has remained stable in recent years. In 2022, 6.6% of all babies born in NSW were low birthweight.
• Between 2018 and 2022, the reported number of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers giving birth increased from 4,213 to 4,926, an increase from 4.5% to 5.4% of all mothers who gave birth in NSW.
• The percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW and were teenagers decreased from 11.5% in 2018 to 8.6% in 2022. The percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers giving birth aged 35 years or over has increased slightly from 9.9% in 2018 to 10.7% in 2022.
• In 2022, 39.6% of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW reported smoking at some time during pregnancy, compared to 43.2% in 2018.
• In 2022, 10.7% of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander babies born in NSW were low birthweight and 11.9% were premature.
• The perinatal mortality rate of 12.1 per 1,000 births in Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who gave birth in NSW in 2022 is higher than the rate of 8.4 per 1,000 births experienced among babies born to non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers in NSW.
• In 2021, there were 660 stillbirths and 223 neonatal deaths recorded on the Maternal and Child Health Register. The most common cause of perinatal death was congenital anomalies (30.0%), followed by spontaneous preterm labour or rupture of membranes (13.4%). The majority (44.8%) of all deaths occurred among periviable infants; while 24.2% were associated with congenital anomalies.