Age of women at the birth of their first child
In 10 EU Member States the average mean age of women at the birth of their first child was at least 30 years in 2023, for example in Italy and Spain. With a mean age of 29.8 years women in Germany were placed in the EU average. In contrast, Eastern European women have children relatively early. In Bulgaria the mean age of women at the birth of their first child was 26.9 years.
Fertility rate
A total fertility rate of around 2.1 live births per woman is considered to be the replacement level in developed countries: in other words, the average number of live births per woman required to keep the population size constant in the absence of migration. Among the EU Member States, Bulgaria reported the highest total fertility rate in 2023, with 1.81 live births per woman. In Germany the total fertility rate amounted to 1.39 live births per woman. By contrast, the lowest total fertility rates in 2023 were recorded in Malta (1.06 live births per woman). The current status of monthly data and annual data on births is accessible here.
Last updated: May 23, 2025.