Average Age of First-Time Mothers Continues to Rise

The average age at which Korean women give birth to their first child is continuing to rise as more and more women marry late or choose to remain single.

Statistics Korea says women gave birth to their first child at age 31 on average last year, an increase of 0.18 compared to 2008.

The average age stood at 28.68 a decade ago and surpassed 30 in 2005.

Experts say that the upward trend is likely to continue and that the average age will exceed 31 this year, which will directly affect the total number of births per year.