The age of parents in Australia continues to rise and is accelerating, according to the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data.
ABS Head of Demography Beidar Cho said the median age of both mothers and fathers rose again last year.
“In 2024, the median age of mothers was 32.1 and fathers was 33.9, showing a slow but steady increase over the last decade,” Mr Cho said.
He said since 2014, the median age of mothers increased 1.2 years, while fathers increased 0.9 years.
“But in the decade before 2014, the median age of mothers and fathers only rose by 0.3 years for mothers and 0.2 years for fathers.”
Mr Cho said the shift toward older parenthood reflected broader social changes and economic shifts.
“This includes things like more time spent in education such as university and TAFE and higher workforce participation by women.
“It also shows evolving patterns in how and when people choose to start families compared to previous generations.”
