How old is the average first-time mother in the Netherlands?

Women in the Netherlands are 30.4 years old when they have their first child, on average, according to figures on 2024. Over the past two decades, the age at which women first become mothers has increased by over a year.

The age at which women in the Netherlands give birth to their first child has been increasing for decades. In 1970, the average age at which women became mothers was 24.3 years. Since then, that age has increased steadily almost every year. Men are around 2.5 years older than women, on average, when their first child is born.

Three percent of babies born to mothers aged 40 years or older

The share of younger mothers is falling, while the number of older mothers is rising. In 2024, 10 percent of first-born children were born to mothers younger than 25 years. In 2000 that share was 16 percent, and in 1970 it was 60 percent.

At the same time, the number of mothers aged 40 and over is increasing. In 2024, almost 3 percent of babies were born to mothers aged 40 years or older. In 2000 that share was 1 percent, around the same level as in 1970.

Most mothers are now aged between 30 and 35 years old when they have their first child. In 2000, most women were younger than 30 when they had their first child.

Women in the Netherlands are relatively old when they have their first child

Dutch women start having children relatively late in life. In the EU as a whole, the average age at which women had their first child was 29.8 years in 2023, compared to 30.3 years in the Netherlands. But there are countries where women become mothers even later in life. Italy has the oldest first-time mothers at 31.8 years old, but new mothers in Ireland, Spain, Luxembourg and Greece were also older than those in the Netherlands (all 31 years old or older).