A first child at age 28.5 in 2015: 4.5 years later than in 1974

In 2015, in France, women gave birth to their first child at the age of 28.5 years on average, four years later than in 1974. The age of first-time mothers has continued to rise since this date, although the increase has slowed over the last fifteen years. Women are also older at the birth of their second or third child, as they are aged 31.0 and 32.6 on average. All in all, irrespective of birth order, women gave birth on average aged 30.4.

In 2012, the least qualified women had their first child four years earlier than the most highly qualified. This gap according to level of qualification closed by two months between 2006 and 2012 due to the faster increase in the age of first-time mothers with fewest qualifications.

In 2012, immigrant women became mothers six months earlier than the average for all women having their first child, with some strong disparities according to their country of birth. Women born in Turkey give birth to their first child aged 24.3 and those born in Spain or Italy become mothers aged 31.4 on average. These differences partly reflect differences in educational attainment. They may also be due to cultural factors such as the fertility rate in the countries of origin.

In the European Union in 2014, the age at which women have their first child is lowest in Bulgaria (25.8 years) and highest in Italy (30.7 years). Between 2010 and 2014, this age increased in almost all countries.