Table 1 Demographic characteristics of women planning a vaginal birth in Queensland 2001–2020

Maternal age

< 19

47,010 (5.6%)

5,397 (7.3%)

5,158 (7.0%)

5,212 (6.5%)

5,721 (6.6%)

5,689 (6.4%)

5,350 (6.0%)

4,812 (5.4%)

3,774 (4.3%)

3,142 (3.7%)

2,755 (3.3%)

20–29

406,939 (48.7%)

37,599 (50.9%)

36,031 (48.9%)

38,857 (48.6%)

42,599 (49.0%)

43,729 (49.5%)

44,352 (49.8%)

43,993 (49.0%)

42,135 (48.1%)

39,800 (47.2%)

37,844 (46.0%)

30–34

247,874 (29.6%)

21,181 (28.6%)

21,950 (29.8%)

23,589 (29.5%)

24,323 (28.0%)

24,211 (27.4%)

24,974 (28.0%)

26,806 (29.8%)

27,557 (31.4%)

26,555 (31.5%)

26,728 (32.5%)

35+

134,242 (16.1%)

9,754 (13.2%)

10,541 (14.3%)

12,345 (15.4%)

14,359 (16.5%)

14,660 (16.6%)

14,425 (16.2%)

14,249 (15.9%)

14,178 (16.2%)

14,738 (17.5%)

14,993 (18.2%)

Gestation (weeks)

37–38

196,906 (23.6%)

13,416 (18.1%)

14,214 (19.3%)

15,648 (19.6%)

17,226 (19.8%)

18,326 (20.8%)

20,017 (22.5%)

21,776 (24.2%)

23,841 (27.2%)

26,105 (31.0%)

26,337 (32.0%)

39–40

501,001 (59.9%)

45,753 (61.9%)

45,892 (62.3%)

50,289 (62.9%)

53,916 (62.0%)

54,009 (61.2%)

53,500 (60.0%)

53,010 (59.0%)

50,592 (57.7%)

47,528 (56.4%)

46,512 (56.5%)

41+

138,158 (16.5%)

14,762 (20.0%)

13,574 (18.4%)

14,066 (17.6%)

15,860 (18.2%)

15,954 (18.1%)

15,584 (17.5%)

15,074 (16.8%)

13,211 (15.1%)

10,602 (12.6%)

9,471 (11.5%)

Country of birth

Australia

644,879 (77.1%)

62,088 (84.0%)

61,212 (83.1%)

66,045 (82.6%)

70,317 (80.8%)

68,347 (77.4%)

67,570 (75.8%)

66,757 (74.3%)

63,842 (72.8%)

59,977 (71.2%)

58,724 (71.3%)

UK

20,180 (2.4%)

1,937 (2.6%)

1,824 (2.5%)

1,872 (2.3%)

2,106 (2.4%)

2,219 (2.5%)

2,130 (2.4%)

2,001 (2.2%)

2,107 (2.4%)

1,987 (2.4%)

1,997 (2.4%)

India

18,289 (2.2%)

258 (0.3%)

325 (0.4%)

391 (0.5%)

692 (0.8%)

1,703 (1.9%)

2,151 (2.4%)

2,605 (2.9%)

3,075 (3.5%)

3,491 (4.1%)

3,598 (4.4%)

China

12,201 (1.5%)

536 (0.7%)

471 (0.6%)

547 (0.7%)

731 (0.8%)

1,021 (1.2%)

1,440 (1.6%)

1,752 (1.9%)

1,940 (2.2%)

1,961 (2.3%)

1,802 (2.2%)

NZ

45,702 (5.5%)

3,174 (4.3%)

3,355 (4.6%)

3,825 (4.8%)

4,670 (5.4%)

5,320 (6.0%)

5,385 (6.0%)

5,444 (6.1%)

4,977 (5.7%)

4,953 (5.9%)

4,599 (5.6%)

Other

94,814 (11.3%)

5,938 (8.0%)

6,493 (8.8%)

7,323 (9.2%)

8,486 (9.8%)

9,679 (11.0%)

10,425 (11.7%)

11,301 (12.6%)

11,703 (13.4%)

11,866 (14.1%)

11,600 (14.1%)

Region

Major city

547,004 (65.4%)

46,087 (62.3%)

46,905 (63.7%)

51,138 (63.9%)

55,970 (64.3%)

57,513 (65.1%)

58,194 (65.3%)

58,837 (65.5%)

58,741 (67.0%)

57,517 (68.3%)

56,102 (68.2%)

Inner regional

155,208 (18.6%)

14,263 (19.3%)

13,839 (18.8%)

15,251 (19.1%)

16,502 (19.0%)

16,515 (18.7%)

16,886 (19.0%)

16,887 (18.8%)

15,836 (18.1%)

14,652 (17.4%)

14,577 (17.7%)

Outer regional/ remote

133,853 (16.0%)

13,581 (18.4%)

12,936 (17.6%)

13,614 (17.0%)

14,530 (16.7%)

14,261 (16.2%)

14,021 (15.7%)

14,136 (15.7%)

13,067 (14.9%)

12,066 (14.3%)

11,641 (14.1%)

Indigenous status (n = 835,916)

52,775 (6.3%)

4,194 (5.7%)

4,253 (5.8%)

4,550 (5.7%)

4,960 (5.7%)

5,140 (5.8%)

5,584 (6.3%)

5,712 (6.4%)

6,018 (6.9%)

6,009 (7.1%)

6,355 (7.7%)

Model of Care (n = 833,656)

Public hospital

338,205 (40.6%)

22,563 (30.6%)

24,801 (33.8%)

29,264 (36.7%)

41,371 (47.7%)

43,128 (49.0%)

40,156 (45.2%)

36,782 (41.1%)

34,290 (39.2%)

34,057 (40.5%)

31,793 (38.7%)

GP shared care

283,573 (34.0%)

28,379 (38.5%)

27,016 (36.8%)

28,313 (35.5%)

21,839 (25.2%)

21,630 (24.6%)

26,068 (29.3%)

30,355 (33.9%)

32,921 (37.7%)

32,403 (38.6%)

34,649 (42.2%)

Private Obstetrician

205,882 (24.7%)

22,373 (30.4%)

21,434 (29.2%)

22,106 (27.7%)

23,297 (26.9%)

23,047 (26.2%)

22,333 (25.1%)

21,494 (24.0%)

18,820 (21.5%)

16,377 (19.5%)

14,601 (17.8%)

Private Midwife

5,996 (0.7%)

345 (0.5%)

175 (0.2%)

106 (0.1%)

198 (0.2%)

258 (0.3%)

310 (0.3%)

951 (1.1%)

1,386 (1.6%)

1,202 (1.4%)

1,065 (1.3%)