Family Life — Age of Mother at Childbirth

Relevance

The birth of a child brings a lot of changes to a family. It may mean adding a child to an adult-only family, introducing a brother or sister to an only child, or becoming a family with more children than adults.

The timing of this event is often a personal choice, which may be heavily influenced by social and economic factors. For instance, people may delay having children because of education and career decisions. However, with the delay of having children, there may be health risks for both mother and child.[1] On the other hand, there may be less family stability and poorer financial security when people have children at a young age.

The age of mother at childbirth indicator measures the average age of mothers who gave birth in a given year.

Summary

• National Picture — In 2005, the average age of mothers at the birth of their children was 29.2 years, which was an increase over the previous three decades. 
• Births to Mothers over 30 — Nearly half (48.9%) of all mothers who gave birth in 2005 were 30 years of age or older. 
• Births to Teens — Births to teenage mothers decreased between 1974 and 2005. In 2005, there were 11.1 births per 1,000 females aged 14 to 19 years. However, this rate varies by region. 
• Regions — Ontario had the highest average age (30.0 years) of mothers who gave birth in 2005. Ontario and British Columbia had the highest percentage of births to mothers 30 and over, and along with Quebec, were the only three provinces with teen births lower than the national average.

National Picture

The average age of mothers who gave birth in 2005 was 29.2 years, which is similar to the average in the mid 1940's.  The average age decreased for three decades following 1944, and has risen steadily since the mid-1970's. Between 1975 and 2005, the average age of mothers at the birth of a child increased by 2.5 years.

Births to Mothers Over 30

Of the mothers who gave birth in 2005, 48.9% were 30 years of age or over, more than double the number in 1974.

Births to Teens

The number of births to teens (females 14 to 19 years of age) has declined in the 31 years between 1974 and 2005, from 29.9 per 1,000 female teens in 1974 to 11.1 in 2005.

Regions

Ontario had the highest average age of mothers who gave birth in 2005 at 30,0 years. Saskatchewan (27.0 years) and Nunavut (24.7 years) had the lowest average age.

In 2005, the highest percentages of mothers over the age of 30 at the time of the birth of their child were in Ontario (54.8%) and British Columbia (54.1%). On the other hand, Nunavut (22.7%) and Saskatchewan (33.0%) had the lowest percentages.

In 2005, the national average rate of teens who gave birth was 11.1 per 1,000 female teens. Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon were the only regions with rates below the national average. The rate was highest in Nunavut (86.4), and Northwest Territories (34.9), followed by Saskatchewan (26.6), and Manitoba (24.4).  

Footnotes

1. Health Canada. Perinatal Health Indicators for Canada. Ottawa, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada 2000 (Cat.No. H49-135/2000E).

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