More women in Korea are waiting to have children, as they spend more time furthering their careers.

Statistics Korea said Monday that the number of women over the age of 40 who gave birth in 2011 far exceeded 10,000, hitting a 20-year high. The number went up for the sixth consecutive year, and has doubled in a decade.

Seo Woon-joo at Statistics Korea said this is partly because more women are more highly educated and stay economically active for a longer period.