Comparing fertility of U.S. women with those in fother developed nations U.S. women become U.S women have larger U.S. women as likely to be moms Average age at frrst birth, 2015
The average age at which U.S. women first become mothers is 26.4 – comparable to the age at first birth among Latvian women but lower than in the 28 other nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for which data were available. At the other end of the spectrum, South Korean women are the oldest when they first give birth (31.4 years, on average). On average, women in Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Japan, Spain and Italy are also in their 30s when they become mothers.
Not only are U.S. women becoming moms sooner than many of their OECD counterparts, they are also ending their childbearing years with larger families – 2.2 children, on average. Of the 21 other OECD nations with available data, 20 have lower lifetime fertility, the only exception being Iceland. There, women at the end of their childbearing years have had 2.3 children, on average. In contrast, lifetime fertility dips below 2.0 in 17 other nations, going as low as 1.5 in Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan.
All told, the share of U.S. women at the end of their childbearing years who ever had a baby now stands at 86%, while 14% are childless. This is about the same as rates of childlessness among women in Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and France. In contrast, almost one-in-four German women (23%) end their childbearing years having never had a baby. Rates of childlessness reach 20% or more in Finland, Spain and Italy, as well. At the other end of the spectrum, only 9% of women at the end of their childbearing years in the Czech Republic have never given birth.
Comparing fertility of U.S. women with those in fother developed nations  | U.S. women become  | U.S women have larger  | U.S. women as likely to be moms  | families than most  | as many European women  | moms sooner  | Average age at frrst birth, 2015  | Average number of lifetime  | % of women at the end of their  | Average births among childbearing women at the end childbearing years who have  | of their childbearing years  | never given birth  | U.S  | 26 4  | Iceland  | 2.3  | Czech Rep  | 9 %  | Latvia  | U.S  | 2.2  | Hungary  | 11 I it 16  | 26.5  | Poland  | Norway  | 2.1  | Denmark  | 27.0  | Slovakia  | France  | 2.0  | Portugal  | 27.1  | Estonia  | Sweden  | 2.0  | Slovakia  | 27.2  | Iceland  | Slovakia  | 1.9  | Norway  | 27.5  | 1.9  | 27.6  | UK  | Slovenia  | Israel  | Hungary  | Finland  | 1.9  | USS  | 27.9  | Czech Rep  | Hungary  | 1.9  | Sweden  | 28.2  | Canada  | Estonia  | 1.9  | France  | 28.5  | 1.8  | France  | Czech Rep.  | Netherlands Belgium  | 16  | 28.5  | 1.8 1.8  | Netherlands Belgium  | 18 19 19 19  | Belgium  | 28.7  | Cana da  | Slovenia  | 28.7  | Netherlands  | UK  | 1. 1.6 1.7 1.7 6 1.8 1.8  | UK  | 28.7  | Ireland  | Poland  | Finland  | Slovenia  | 28.8  | Austria  | 19  | Portugal  | Switzerland  | Norway  | 28.9  | 20  | Sw itzerland  | Austria  | 29.2  | Finland  | 21 21  | 1.6  | Denmark  | Austria  | 29.2  | Spain  | 1.5  | Sweden  | Germany  | 29.2  | Italy  | 1.5  | 29. 5  | Italy  | Germany  | 23  | Germany  | Spain  | 29. 5  | 1.5  | Portugal  | Ireland  | 29 6  | Japan  | 1.5  | Netherlands  | 29. 7  | Greece  | 30.2  | Luxembourg  | 30.2  | Switzerland  | 30 6  | 30.7  | Japan  | Spain  | 30.7  | Italy  | 30.8  | South Korea  | 31.4  | Note: All statistics are based on OECD countries forwhich data are available For a ge at first birth, Canadian data are from  | 2011 and Israe li and South Korean data ability, are from 2016 Average number of liflife time births are based on completed cohort  | fertility. Due to variations in data ava lila ability, the exa ctyears of each data point vary slightly for average number of lifetime  | births and childlessness rates but generally represent women who ended their childbearing years be tween 2012 and 201 6.  | Each represe nts the latest available generally data.  | Source: OOCD Family Data base; Human Fertility Data abase; Pew Research Center analysis of Current Population Survey June  | Source: 2016 Supple ment; and Sobotka, Tr. 201 7 "Childlessness in Europe: Reconstructing Long Term Trends Population Among Women Born in  | 1900-197 Supple 2. In "Childlessness in Europe: Contexts Causes, Europe: and Conseq Reconstructing uences  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 