It might seem as if women in the US have been waiting longer and longer to start families in recent years, but according to a new chart illustrating ages of first-time moms around the world (created using data from the CIA World Factbook, UNICEF, and the China Sixth Nationwide Census), there are plenty of countries across the globe where women are waiting even longer than they are here — and plenty of others where they’re having their first babies much younger.
And while some of the birth trends are somewhat predictable (more developed countries tend to have older first-time moms, while the majority of countries with very young moms are in less-industrialized nations), some of the statistics might be surprising!
So what is the normal age for women to start having children? The answer has so many variables it’s hard to give a definitive answer. Factors like access to water, availability to family planning services, and even cultural norms can greatly change how old a woman is when she gives birth from country to country.
It’s a fascinating subject that might just change how one thinks about birth here in the United States. Check out our slideshow to find out more.
Greece
Atlantide Phototravel/Corbis
The birth rate in Greece is on the decline (possibly because of the high rate of unemployment and overall economic stability), and women who are having babies are waiting a while: At 31.20 years, the average age of first-time moms in Greece is the highest in the world.
Bangladesh
Mohammad Moniruzzaman/Corbis
Thanks in part to easier access to contraceptives, the birth rate in Bangladesh is on the decline , but the average age of women the first time they give birth is still very young: 18.10 years.
Australia
Ted Spiegel/CORBIS
The birth rate in Australia has been on the decline in recent years, and women who are starting families are doing so at an average age of 30.50.
United Kingdom
Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us/Corbis
As of 2015, there was an average of 12.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants in the UK, with a lower average age for first-time moms than some of its European neighbors:Â 27.80 years.
Peru
Paul Souders/Corbis
Peru is the 100th most fertile country in the world, with 18.28 births per 1,000 people in 2015; moms are 22.20 years old on average when they have their first baby.
Italy
Corbis
With fewer babies born in Italy in 2014 since the modern Italian state’s formation in 1861 , it’s no wonder that Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin called the nation a “dying country.” As with other countries with low birth rates, the average age for first-time mothers is high:Â 30.30 years.
South Africa
Corbis
Both infant mortality rate and birth rate are decreasing in South Africa, with the latter falling from 24 births per 1,000 people in 2002 to 22 births per 1,000 people in 2014. The average age of first-time moms? 22.50 years.
Japan
Keren Su/Corbis
In 2015, Japan experienced its first dip in total fertility rate in nine years, a trend which seems to be reflected in the average age for first-time moms: 30.30 years.
Sri Lanka
Tuul & Bruno Morandi/Corbis
Sri Lanka is the only country in its region to be experiencing an increase in birth rate, due in part to a decline in the average age of marriage (23.50). So it makes sense that the average age of first-time moms would be a couple of years down the line: 25.40 years.
Luxembourg
Farrell Grehan/CORBIS
Luxembourg is known as “Little Switzerland,” so perhaps it’s no surprise that the average age for first-time moms is exactly the same as it is in the larger nation: 30.20 years.
South Korea
Ted Spiegel/CORBIS
At slightly less than 1.1 births per woman, South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world, but the average age of a woman the first time she gives birth is the same as it is in Japan: 30.30 years.
Niger
Frans Lemmens/Corbis
As of 2011, Niger had the world’s fastest growing population , so it’s no surprise that the average age of first-time moms is low: 18.10 years.
Singapore
Kevin R. Morris/Corbis
Singapore has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, with one survey pointing to the high cost of raising a child in the country as one reason. Average age of first-time mothers: 29.80 years.
Spain
Norbert Eisele-Hein/JAI/Corbis
With an average of 1.27 children born for every woman of childbearing age, Spain has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. The magic number for first-time moms? 29.80 years.
Ukraine
STR/NurPhoto/Corbis
There’s been a sharp decline in the number of Ukrainian babies being born recently, with the birth rate dropping 12 percent during the first third of 2015. The average age of moms contributing to that birth rate for the first time:Â 25.80 years.
USA
James P. Blair/CORBIS
The birth rate in the US finally started to rise in 2014 :Â 3 percent for women between the ages of 30 and 39; 2 percent for women ages 40 to 44; and 1 percent overall. Despite the increased number of moms over 30, the average age for first-timers is still 25.40 years.
Switzerland
Varbes/Westend61/Corbis
Beginning the month their child is born, Swiss moms receive a monthly minimum child benefit allowance of approximately $212 per month, which continues until kids are 16. Still, Swiss mothers wait until they’re an average of 30.20 years to have their first babies.
Turkey
Owen Franken/Corbis
After a major campaign by the Turkish government to increase population, the birth rate has been on the increase in recent years, and younger moms are a big part of the boom — the average age of first-time mothers in Turkey is 22.30 years.
Ireland
Peter Turnley/Corbis
In 2012, Ireland recorded the second highest fertility rate in Europe (1.99), but the average age for first-time moms is still exactly the same as it is in less-fertile Spain (and Switzerland): 29.80 years.
Angola
Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis
With 38.97 births per 1,000 people in 2014 , Angola’s birth rate is one of the highest in the world. And first-time moms are the youngest in the world: 18.00 years old on average.
