Dutch women waiting still longer to have children

Women in the Netherlands are waiting increasingly longer to have their first child. The average age to become a first-time mother last year was 30.4 years. That is the highest level in the Statistics Netherlands (CBS) data, dating back to 1950. It is also above the European average.

In the 1950s, women were, on average, 26 years old when they became mothers for the first time. That dropped to 24 in the early 1970s. Since then, the average age has been increasing. In 2019, the 30-year mark was passed. In 2023, new mothers were, on average, 30.3 years old.

According to CBS, the total number of mothers has been stable for years. Four out of five women eventually have a child. But people do start families later. “The age at which women start having children has shifted,” the statistics agency said.

The number of 20-somethings who start a family is falling. At the same time, more women aged 35 to 40 and 40 to 45 are having their first child.