Statistics - Mothers are on average 30.3 years old at first birth
In the past year, Mothers were on average 30.3 years old at the birth of their first babies. This was slightly younger than the previous year (30.4 years), according to the Statistical Office in Wiesbaden. The average age of fathers at the birth of their first child also decreased minimally from 33.3 years to 33.2 years.
However, parents have tended to be older in the last ten years when having their first child. In 2014, for instance, mothers were on average 29.6 years old and fathers were 32.8 years old.
Furthermore, significantly fewer children were born in Germany. The Federal Office recently reported that around 693,000 babies were born in Germany in 2023, which was six percent fewer than the previous year. These were the lowest birth numbers since 2013, it added.
Average number of children per woman falls to 1.35
The average number of children per woman was 1.35, down from 1.46 in 2022, representing a seven percent decrease. The highest number of children per woman was recorded in Bremen (1.46). The lowest number was in Berlin (1.17).
The nationwide birth rate had already decreased by eight percent in the previous year. "This intensified the already observed and only in 2021 in the context of the Corona pandemic interrupted decline in the number of children per woman in the previous two years," explained the statisticians. "Previously, the birth rate had risen from 1.39 in 2011 to 1.59 in 2016 due to improved framework conditions for families with children and migration."
Highest decline in birth rate in Saxony
According to the data, the birth rate decreased in all federal states. The highest decline was in Saxony (-10%), the lowest in Saarland (-1%).
As for the European comparison, no comparable data are yet available for 2023. However, the data up to 2022 showed that birth rates in most European Union countries had significantly decreased compared to the years 2021 and 2020, as well as to the pre-Corona year 2019.
In Wiesbaden, the Statistical Office of the Federation reported a decrease in the average age of first-time mothers to 30.3 years in 2023, from 30.4 years the previous year. Similarly, fathers had an average age of 33.2 years at their first child's birth, a slight decrease from 33.3 years in the previous year. Despite these decreases, parents have generally been older in the last decade, with an average mother's age of 29.6 years in 2014 and a father's age of 32.8 years. The decrease in the number of children born in Germany was significant in 2023, with only 693,000 babies born, a six percent decrease from the previous year and the lowest since 2013. Ms. from the Statistical Office attributed this decrease to the continued decline in the number of children per woman, which fell to 1.35 in 2023, down from 1.46 the previous year. This decline was the highest in Saxony (-10%), with the lowest decline in Saarland (-1%).
