Proportion of babies born with low birthweight
Definition: Proportion of liveborn singleton babies born with a birthweight of less than 2,500 grams.
![](https://viz.aihw.gov.au:443//t/Public/views/IND_01Incidenceofheartattacks/IND_06LowbirthweightDASH.png?:embed=y&:showVizHome=no&:display_spinner=no&:host_url=https%3a%2f%2fviz.aihw.gov.au%2f&filter=iframeSizedToWindow%3dtrue&embed_code_version=3&tabs=no&toolbar=yes&showAppBanner=false&display_count=no)
Source: National Perinatal Data Collection; Table S1.4.6.
- In 2015, 5.0% (14,910) of liveborn singleton babies were of low birthweight. This rate did not change markedly between 2007 and 2015.
- The proportion of low birthweight babies increased with increasing levels of remoteness; in 2015, the proportion in Very remote areas (9.6%) was twice that of Major cities (4.8%).
- The proportion of low birthweight babies was higher for mothers living in the lowest socioeconomic areas (6.3% in 2015) than for mothers living in the highest socioeconomic areas (3.9%).
- The proportion of low birthweight singleton babies born to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers was 10% in 2015 – 2.2 times the proportion of babies born to non-Indigenous mothers (4.8%).
For more information, see Chapter 7.14 'Labour, birth and outcomes'.