Average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand
New Zealand: Average age of mothers at childbirth was 30.64 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
30.64 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
54th
of 236 countries
All-time high
30.64 years
in 2022
All-time low
26.09 years
in 1975
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
The most recent figure for average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand is 30.64 years, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand peaked at 30.64 years in 2022 and was at its lowest, 26.09 years, in 1975.
New Zealand ranks 54th of 236 countries on this measure, 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 New Zealand, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 28.37 years | — |
| 1951 | 28.26 years | -0.4% |
| 1952 | 28.18 years | -0.3% |
| 1953 | 28.11 years | -0.3% |
| 1954 | 28.05 years | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 27.96 years | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 27.84 years | -0.4% |
| 1957 | 27.79 years | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 27.73 years | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 27.67 years | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 27.64 years | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 27.59 years | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 27.49 years | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 27.42 years | -0.2% |
| 1964 | 27.37 years | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 27.19 years | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 27 years | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 26.84 years | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 26.75 years | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 26.73 years | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 26.63 years | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 26.5 years | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 26.37 years | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 26.25 years | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 26.13 years | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 26.09 years | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 26.14 years | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 26.21 years | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 26.29 years | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 26.41 years | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 26.47 years | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 26.54 years | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 26.69 years | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 26.83 years | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 26.99 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 27.08 years | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 27.2 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 27.35 years | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 27.5 years | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 27.58 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 27.73 years | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 27.9 years | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 28.08 years | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 28.18 years | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 28.31 years | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 28.35 years | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 28.45 years | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 28.6 years | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 28.76 years | +0.6% |
| 1999 | 28.87 years | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 28.97 years | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 29.04 years | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 29.25 years | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 29.38 years | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 29.41 years | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 29.5 years | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 29.48 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 29.47 years | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 29.44 years | -0.1% |
| 2009 | 29.51 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 29.59 years | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 29.71 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 29.79 years | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 29.93 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 30.08 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 30.15 years | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 30.28 years | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 30.35 years | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 30.45 years | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 30.52 years | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 30.57 years | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 30.64 years | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 30.64 years | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 30.64 years | +0.0% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 30.64 years is above the median for high income countries, which is 30.49 years, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 30.64 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 | 28 years | 27.67 years | 28.37 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 27.2 years | 26.73 years | 27.64 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 26.3 years | 26.09 years | 26.63 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 27.02 years | 26.47 years | 27.58 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.32 years | 27.73 years | 28.87 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 29.35 years | 28.97 years | 29.51 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.08 years | 29.59 years | 30.52 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.62 years | 30.57 years | 30.64 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 51 Saint Barthelemy 30.66 years compare
- 52 Brunei 30.65 years compare
- 53 Cayman Islands 30.65 years compare
- 55 Saint Helena 30.6 years compare
- 56 Rwanda 30.59 years compare
- 57 New Caledonia 30.49 years compare
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand?
- Average age of mothers at childbirth in New Zealand was 30.64 years in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 30.64 years in 2022.
- What is the lowest average age of mothers at childbirth recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 26.09 years in 1975.
- How does New Zealand rank for average age of mothers at childbirth?
- New Zealand ranks 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is average age of mothers at childbirth rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing 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.