Average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia
Australia: Average age of mothers at childbirth was 31.39 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
31.39 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
34th
of 236 countries
All-time high
31.39 years
in 2023
All-time low
26.7 years
in 1975
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia stood at 31.39 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia peaked at 31.39 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.7 years, in 1975.
That places Australia 34th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 28.19 years | — |
| 1951 | 28.05 years | -0.5% |
| 1952 | 27.94 years | -0.4% |
| 1953 | 27.87 years | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 27.8 years | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 27.71 years | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 27.65 years | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 27.61 years | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 27.57 years | -0.1% |
| 1959 | 27.52 years | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 27.5 years | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 27.48 years | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 27.51 years | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 27.5 years | -0.0% |
| 1964 | 27.53 years | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 27.42 years | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 27.34 years | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 27.28 years | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 27.21 years | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 27.17 years | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 27.1 years | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 26.94 years | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 26.83 years | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 26.75 years | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 26.7 years | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 26.7 years | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 26.75 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 26.88 years | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 26.96 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 27.08 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 27.15 years | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 27.2 years | +0.2% |
| 1982 | 27.31 years | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 27.36 years | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 27.53 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 27.66 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 27.79 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 27.96 years | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 28.1 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 28.24 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 28.32 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 28.44 years | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 28.57 years | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 28.69 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 28.81 years | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 28.94 years | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 29.05 years | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 29.16 years | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 29.26 years | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 29.36 years | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 29.48 years | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 29.55 years | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 29.71 years | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 29.87 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 30.01 years | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 30.1 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 30.23 years | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 30.24 years | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 30.28 years | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 30.33 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 30.42 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 30.49 years | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 30.53 years | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 30.62 years | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 30.71 years | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 30.8 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 30.97 years | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 31.06 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 31.13 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 31.22 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 31.29 years | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 31.38 years | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 31.39 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 31.39 years | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 31.39 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.49 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 31.39 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.17 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 27.79 years | 27.52 years | 28.19 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 27.39 years | 27.17 years | 27.53 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 26.87 years | 26.7 years | 27.1 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.63 years | 27.15 years | 28.24 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.86 years | 28.32 years | 29.36 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.98 years | 29.48 years | 30.33 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.79 years | 30.42 years | 31.22 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.36 years | 31.29 years | 31.39 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Australia
More reference data data for Australia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 28.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 38.41 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 118.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 170.29 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 13.9 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia?
- Average age of mothers at childbirth in Australia was 31.39 years in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 31.39 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.7 years in 1975.
- How does Australia rank for average age of mothers at childbirth?
- Australia ranks 34th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average age of mothers at childbirth rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Australia data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Average age of mothers at childbirth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Mean age of mothers at the birth of their children if women were subject throughout their lives to the age-specific fertility rates observed in a given year.