More and more women are putting off starting a family. In 2009, the average age of women giving birth to their first child was 30 years old, compared to 29.9 years old in 2006 and 26.5 years old in 1977.
According to the findings, it is not improbable that this will pass to 31 years old soon as women put off having their first child.
The Institut national d’études démographiques (INED) or National Institute for Demographic Studies in France released this information in its monthly newsletter. It is the first time in a century that the maternal age has reached the 30-year mark, with the exception a time during the First World War.
According to the European study, women from Holland, Ireland, Italy and Luxembourg wait the longest to have babies. This is followed by women in Sweden (30.9 years), Greece (30.9 years) and Spain (30.8 years).
France is among the most fertile countries with 1.99 children per woman in 2008. It falls just behind Ireland where there are 2.10 children per woman. The United Kingdom follows with 1.96 children, Sweden with 1.91 and Denmark with 1.89 children per woman.