CANBERRA Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The average Australian baby is born in September, weighs 2.5 kg at birth and has one parent who was born overseas, according to the latest figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) on Wednesday.
After analyzing birthing data from the 10 years between 2007 and 2016, statisticians found September to be the most common month for a baby to be born, with three of the top five most common birthdays falling in September (Sept. 17, 23, 24), while December was the month in which the fewest babies were born.
According to ABS demographer, Beidar Cho, many babies in Australia are conceived around the Christmas/New Year holiday period in December and January, meaning that births are more likely to occur nine months later, in September.
"These trends are similar in New Zealand, England and Wales, and the United States," Cho said in a media release on Wednesday.
"More babies are likely to be conceived around the Christmas/New Year holidays, resulting in more babies born in September and October."
Curiously, according to the ABS, the five least common birthdays among Australians were February 29 (in a leap year), as well as Christmas Day (Dec. 25), Boxing Day (Dec. 26), New Year's Day (Jan. 1) and Australia Day (Jan. 26).
Cho said this was no coincidence, as doctors preferred not to schedule deliveries on public holidays to spend time with family and friends.
"Fewer babies are born on public holidays - possibly a result of doctors scheduling deliveries on non-public holidays," she said.
