Women in the EU having first child ever later in life

© Hollandse Hoogte / Frank Muller / Zorginbeeld
The average age at which women in the European Union (EU) have their first child has risen over the past decade. This is true of every country in the EU. In 2013, women in the EU had their first child at the age of 28.8 years, on average, and by 2022 this had risen to 29.7 years. In the Netherlands, the average age at which women had their first child in 2022 was 30.3 years, higher than the EU average. This is according to figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and Eurostat.

Mothers in the Netherlands were not the oldest in the EU, however. The average age at which women had their first child was higher in six EU countries. Italy and Spain had the highest average age. In the Netherlands’ neighbouring countries, the average age was lower than in the Netherlands: women in Belgium have their first child at the age of 29.5 years on average, and women in Germany at the age of 29.9 years. The youngest mothers in the EU are in Bulgaria. Meanwhile, fathers in the Netherlands had an average age of 32.8 years when their first child was born, in 2022. That was slightly higher than in 2013, when the average was 32.4 years.

 

Total fertility rate is falling across all EU countries

In 2022, the total fertility rate (TFR) among Dutch women was 1.49 children. This measure, which is the average number of children born to each woman, has been declining for years: in 2011 it was 1.76. The average in the Netherlands in 2022 was, however, slightly higher than the average for the EU as a whole, which was 1.46. As recently as 2011, the EU average was 1.54 children per woman.


Fertility rates in the Netherlands’ neighbouring countries varied in 2022. In Belgium, the average number of children born per woman was higher than in the Netherlands at 1.53; in Germany it was slightly lower, at 1.46 children per woman. France has the highest fertility rate of all EU countries (1.79), while Malta has the lowest with an average of 1.08 children per woman. The highest fertility rates are found mainly in eastern European countries, while the lowest fertility rates are found mainly in southern European countries. In over half of EU countries, the average number of children born has been in decline since 2011.

 

Total number of children born also declining

A total of 3.8 million children were born in the EU in 2022. That was fewer than the previous year, when 4.1 million babies were born. The birth rate in the EU has been falling since 2008. This is also the case in the Netherlands, where the number of live births has declined by 5 percent since 2008. Previous research has found that young women, in particular, are postponing the age at which they become mothers. However, if these women go on to have children in the years to come, both the birth rate and the total fertility rate could rise again.

Sources

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