Birth; key figures, 1950-2022

Birth; key figures, 1950-2022

Periods Average age of the mother At 1st birth (year)
2000 29.1
2001 29.2
2002 29.2
2003 29.3
2004 29.4
2005 29.4
2006 29.4
2007 29.4
2008 29.4
2009 29.4
2010 29.4
2011 29.4
2012 29.4
2013 29.4
2014 29.5
2015 29.6
2016 29.7
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


Key figures on fertility, live and stillborn children and multiple births among inhabitants of The Netherlands.

Available selections:
- Live born children by sex;
- Live born children by age of the mother (31 December), in groups;
- Live born children by birth order from the mother;
- Live born children by marital status of the mother;
- Live born children by migration background of the mother;
- Stillborn children by duration of pregnancy;
- Births: single and multiple;
- Average number of children per female;
- Average number of children per male;
- Average age of the mother at childbirth by birth order from the mother;
- Average age of the father at childbirth by birth order from the mother.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.

Data available from: 1950
Most of the data is available as of 1950 with the exception of the live born children by migration background of the mother (from 1996), stillborn children by duration of pregnancy (24+) (from 1991), average number of children per male (from 1996) and the average age of the father at childbirth (from 1996).

Status of the figures:
All data recorded in this publication are final data.

Changes per 6 November 2023:
None, this table was discontinued.

When will new figures be published?
No longer applicable. This table is succeeded by the table 'Births; key figures'. See section 3.

Description topics

Average age of the mother
Average age of the mother at childbirth.

Average age:
The arithmetic mean of all ages.

Age mother:
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.

At 1st birth
Average age of the mother at childbirth, first live born children from the mother.

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.