Women in the Netherlands are having their first child later, in line with women all over Europe, according to new figures from European statistics agency Eurostat.

In 2019, the average age at which a Dutch woman became a mother for the first time was 30.1 years, up slightly from 30 years in 2018, Eurostat said.

The European average also rose by the same amount, from 29.3 to 29.4 years. Europe’s youngest first time mothers are in Bulgaria, with an average age of 26.3. The oldest are in Italy, at 31.3 years.

The age at which Dutch women become mothers for the first time has been steadily increasing since the 1970s – when the average age was 24.

Fertility experts warn that couples can be naive about the risk of infertility if they wait too long to become parents, because the risk increases the older a woman gets.

Moving in together

Meanwhile, national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday that fewer people in their 20s are living together with a partner compared with 20 years ago, and they are more likely to split up within five years.

In 2000, 59% of 25 to 30-year-olds lived with a partner, but that had fallen to 47% in 2019. Instead, young adults are more likely to live with their parents or by themselves.

The CBS also found that 23% of young couples split up within five years, compared with 18% a decade earlier.