Editor in chief at IamExpat Media
Continuing a 10-year trend, the average age of first-time mothers in Germany rose again in 2020.
On average, women in Germany are waiting longer and longer before they give birth to their first child. According to new statistics released this week by the Federal Statistical Office, the average age of first-time mothers in 2020 was 30,2 years. 10 years ago, it was 29 years, and has grown steadily ever since.
The statistics show that around 260.000 women had their first child in 2020. Around 0,8 percent were minors (younger than 18), while 2,9 percent were 40 or older.
The gradual trend towards having children later in life is not specific to Germany. Data from other European countries shows that first-time mothers are getting older, with the average age across the continent 29,5 years in 2020. On average, first-time mothers are oldest in Italy (31,4 years) and Spain (31,2 years), and youngest in Bulgaria (26,4 years), Romania (27,1 years) and Slovakia (27,2 years).
Germany has long been counting on immigration to offset its sluggish birth rate. In 2020, for the first time in 10 years, the country recorded net zero population growth, as the coronavirus pandemic slowed migration and increased deaths. This statistic was repeated in 2021.
However, migration picked up again during the course of 2021, as worldwide travel restrictions were relaxed, and the birth rate in Germany also spiked, suggesting that steady population growth will soon resume in the federal republic.