Average Age of Mothers in British Columbia at Birth (1991-2023)

British Columbia has seen a clear generational shift in childbirth patterns, with more women postponing motherhood to later years. From 1991 to 2023, there’s been a striking decrease in teenage births and a consistent rise in births to mothers over 30.

Teen Births in Decline: Young Mothers Nearly Vanish by 2023

Highlights the dramatic drop in births to mothers under 20, supporting long-term youth pregnancy prevention efforts.

Millennial Shift: Women in Their 30s Now Lead Birth Rates in BC

Discusses how women aged 30–34 have become the dominant age group for childbirth in the province.

Aging into Motherhood: Rise of Births in the 35–44 Age Bracket

Explores the steady growth of births among women aged 35–39 and 40–44, now accounting for a significant share.

The Decline of the 25–29 Age Group: A Former Majority Diminishes

Analyzes how this group went from leading all age brackets in 1991 to being overtaken by older cohorts.

Delayed Parenthood in British Columbia: Social and Economic Drivers

Provides context for why BC women are waiting longer to have children—education, career, housing costs, etc.

BC vs. National Trends: Is British Columbia Leading Canada’s Shift?

Optional if you’re comparing provinces—positions BC’s data within the wider Canadian context.

Percentage of Births by Age of Mother in British Columbia:

Age of mother	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
under 15 years	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
15 to 19 years	5.9	5.7	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.1	4.9	4.8	4.8	4.5	4.4	4	3.6	3.5	3.2	3.5	3.4	3.3	3.2	3	2.6	2.4	2.3	2	1.8	1.5	1.4	1.1	1.1	1.1	0.9	0.9	0.8
20 to 24 years	20.1	19.8	19.6	19.3	18.7	18.1	17.3	17.4	16.8	16	15.3	15.4	15	15.1	15.1	14.7	14.7	14.7	13.8	13.2	12.3	11.4	10.8	10.3	10	9.2	8.9	8.2	7.7	7.3	6.2	6.3	6
25 to 29 years	34.7	33.8	32.8	32	31.2	31.2	31	30.5	29.6	29.4	28.5	28.2	28	27.4	27.5	27.6	27.9	27.7	28.3	28.1	28.1	27.7	26.9	26.5	25.7	25.6	24.7	24.3	24	22.9	22.3	21.5	21.4
30 to 34 years	28.3	29	29.3	29.8	30.4	30.5	30.4	30.3	30.9	30.8	32	32.2	33.1	32.5	32.6	31.9	31.7	31.7	32.1	32.5	33.9	34.8	35.7	36.9	37.7	38	38	38.3	38.3	38.9	39.7	39.5	39.5
35 to 39 years	9.7	10.2	11	11.6	12.1	12.9	14	14.5	15.2	16.1	16.5	16.7	16.8	17.5	17.5	18.3	18.4	18.6	18.5	18.8	18.7	19.1	19.4	19.6	20.1	21	22.2	22.9	23.9	24.5	25.4	25.6	26.1
40 to 44 years	1.3	1.4	1.6	1.7	1.9	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.6	3	3.1	3.3	3.3	3.7	3.8	3.7	3.8	3.7	3.9	4.1	4.1	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.5	4.7	4.6	4.9	5.2	5.8	5.6
45 to 49 years	0	0	0	0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4

Source:

Source Name:	Statistics Canada. Table 13-10-0416-01. Live births, by age of mother.
Source Link:	https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1310041601
Release Date:	2024-09-25