Nearly a quarter of people in Australia live with limited childcare access, also refered to as ‘childcare deserts’. These are areas where there’s one spot available for every three or more children who need it.
That’s according to a study by researchers at Victoria University.
While the number of childcare spots has increased in recent years, access remains low in rural and regional areas.
Childcare access in Australia
Further details
Researchers found 700,000 Australians have “virtually no access” to childcare.
Regional and remote areas of Australia had the least access to childcare.
In major cities, there are almost five places for every 10 children. In very remote Australia, there are only three places per 10 children.
When researchers compared childcare access in 2024 to 2020, they found availability has gone backwards in very remote areas.
“Childcare affects us all and making sure that our system is working the best way it can is critically important.”
Lead researcher, Associate Professor Peter Hurley
Other countries
Researchers examined childcare deserts in nine countries, covering over 10 million children.
Norway ranked first with the least (6%) amount of childcare deserts, followed by Sweden (7%), Scotland (10%), then Australia (24%).
Most countries assessed in the study have both for-profit and not-for-profit childcare services.
