Australian women tend to have babies late

More Australian women over the age of 40 are having babies than ever before, according to data released Thursday by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The ABS' Births, Australia, 2011 publication shows that in 2011 a record 12,800 babies were born to women over 40, up from 7,100 in 2001. Director of ABS Demography Bjorn Jarvis said that the fertility rate for mothers in the 4044 year-old age group has increased to 15.1 babies per 1000 women in 2011 from 9.2 in 2001. However, 30 is still the most popular age for women to conceive. "The median age of all mothers was 30.6 years in 2011, whereas the median age of all fathers was 33 years," Jarvis said. "We have also seen the total number of births in Australia pass the 300,000 mark for the first-time," Jarvis added. The total fertility rate in Australia for 2011 was 1.88 babies per woman, which is higher than the record low of 1.73 in 2001 but a decline from the recent peak of 1.96 in 2008. "Tasmania had the highest fertility rate at 2.17 babies per woman, while Victoria had the lowest at 1.75," Jarvis said.