Insee Focus · July 2025 · n° 356

A first child at 29.1 in 2023: an age still rising

In 2023 in France, women gave birth at an average age of 31.0, which is 0.8 years older than in 2013. The age at childbirth, regardless of birth order, had been steadily increasing since the late 1970s. This trend was primarily driven by the rise in the age at the first childbirth: in 2023, women had their first child at an average age of 29.1, which is 5.1 years later than in 1974. This postponement of the age at the first childbirth logically delayed the age at subsequent births. The gap between births increased only slightly.

In the European Union, the average age at the first childbirth was 29.8 in 2023. It ranged from 26.9 years old in Bulgaria to 31.8 years old in Italy. The rise in age at the first childbirth over the ten preceding years concerned all EU countries.