The following are key figures on births, perinatal deaths, and sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) in Australia.
The latest data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics on births and SUDI is for 2017.
The latest data for perinatal deaths is for 2016 and is provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
- There were 309,142 births in Australia in 2017.
- There were 2,849 perinatal deaths in 2016. This includes 742 neonatal deaths (deaths within 28 days of birth) and 2,107 stillbirths.
- In 2017 there were 87 deaths (a rate of 0.3 deaths per 1,000 births) classified as sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), which includes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleeping accidents.
- An average of 103 children aged 0-4 years die each year from injury and poisoning deaths.
- From 1989 to 2017, the rate of SUDI deaths in Australia has decreased by 85%. An estimated 10,329 lives have been saved since risk reduction campaigns were introduced.
For more detail and references download our 2019 Fast Facts below.
Fast Facts from previous years can be downloaded below.
Stats, facts and definitions
Stillbirth and sudden death in infancy and childhood, Australia