Eurostat: Italian mothers oldest in EU with first child at 31.9 years
Mar 11th 2026
Eurostat data for 2024 show Italy has the highest average age at first birth in the EU, while fertility and birth rates remain far below the level needed to maintain population without migration.
- Average age at first childbirth in the EU was 29.9 years in 2024, with Italy highest at 31.9 and Bulgaria lowest at 26.9.
- The total fertility rate across 24 EU countries was 1.34 live births per woman in 2024, well below the 2.1 replacement level.
- Italy's fertility rate was 1.18 in 2024, among the lowest in the EU after Malta, Spain, Lithuania and Poland.
- The gross birth rate fell to 7.9 live births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2024, down from 16.4 in 1970.
- Children of mothers born abroad accounted for 24 percent of births in 2024.