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Average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea

South Korea: Average age of mothers at childbirth was 33.42 years in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)
33.42 years
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
1st
of 236 countries
All-time high
33.42 years
in 2023
All-time low
26.45 years
in 1984
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea, 1950–2023

0102030195019862023

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 South Korea stood at 33.42 years. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 6.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea peaked at 33.42 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 26.45 years, in 1984.

That places South Korea 1st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

Average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea, year by year

Year years Change
1950 31.25 years —
1951 31.25 years +0.0%
1952 31.26 years +0.0%
1953 31.25 years -0.0%
1954 31.23 years -0.0%
1955 31.22 years -0.0%
1956 31.19 years -0.1%
1957 31.16 years -0.1%
1958 31.14 years -0.1%
1959 31.12 years -0.0%
1960 31.1 years -0.1%
1961 31.05 years -0.2%
1962 30.98 years -0.2%
1963 30.89 years -0.3%
1964 30.8 years -0.3%
1965 30.72 years -0.3%
1966 30.64 years -0.3%
1967 30.56 years -0.3%
1968 30.41 years -0.5%
1969 30.17 years -0.8%
1970 29.96 years -0.7%
1971 29.73 years -0.8%
1972 29.52 years -0.7%
1973 29.27 years -0.8%
1974 28.95 years -1.1%
1975 28.64 years -1.1%
1976 28.37 years -0.9%
1977 28.17 years -0.7%
1978 28 years -0.6%
1979 27.96 years -0.1%
1980 28.09 years +0.4%
1981 27.41 years -2.4%
1982 26.95 years -1.7%
1983 26.65 years -1.1%
1984 26.45 years -0.7%
1985 26.48 years +0.1%
1986 26.61 years +0.5%
1987 26.71 years +0.4%
1988 26.86 years +0.5%
1989 27 years +0.5%
1990 27.2 years +0.7%
1991 27.35 years +0.6%
1992 27.54 years +0.7%
1993 27.74 years +0.7%
1994 27.94 years +0.7%
1995 28.06 years +0.4%
1996 28.19 years +0.5%
1997 28.34 years +0.5%
1998 28.5 years +0.6%
1999 28.66 years +0.5%
2000 28.92 years +0.9%
2001 29.12 years +0.7%
2002 29.32 years +0.7%
2003 29.49 years +0.6%
2004 29.75 years +0.9%
2005 29.98 years +0.8%
2006 30.18 years +0.7%
2007 30.34 years +0.6%
2008 30.52 years +0.6%
2009 30.7 years +0.6%
2010 30.95 years +0.8%
2011 31.08 years +0.4%
2012 31.27 years +0.6%
2013 31.46 years +0.6%
2014 31.65 years +0.6%
2015 31.84 years +0.6%
2016 32.01 years +0.5%
2017 32.27 years +0.8%
2018 32.45 years +0.6%
2019 32.7 years +0.8%
2020 32.87 years +0.5%
2021 33.16 years +0.9%
2022 33.3 years +0.4%
2023 33.42 years +0.4%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 33.42 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.49 years, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • South Korea's 33.42 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 29.17 years, 1.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 31.21 years 31.12 years 31.26 years 10
1960s 30.73 years 30.17 years 31.1 years 10
1970s 28.86 years 27.96 years 29.96 years 10
1980s 26.92 years 26.45 years 28.09 years 10
1990s 27.95 years 27.2 years 28.66 years 10
2000s 29.83 years 28.92 years 30.7 years 10
2010s 31.77 years 30.95 years 32.7 years 10
2020s 33.19 years 32.87 years 33.42 years 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 2 Hong Kong 32.93 years compare
  2. 3 San Marino 32.85 years compare
  3. 4 Ireland 32.7 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea?
Average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea was 33.42 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 South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 33.42 years in 2023.
What is the lowest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 26.45 years in 1984.
How does South Korea rank for average age of mothers at childbirth?
South Korea ranks 1st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is average age of mothers at childbirth rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Korea 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.

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Average age of mothers at childbirth in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 26 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/period-average-age-of-mothers/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Average age of mothers at childbirth
Unit
years
Source
Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,683 data points, 1891–2023
Last refreshed

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.