Is the timing of first childbirth changing in Pakistan?
Last reviewed:
Direct answer
The median age at first birth among women aged 25–49 increased from 21.3 years in PDHS 1990–91 to 22.8 in PDHS 2017–18. The direction is consistent with later marriage, although the interval between marriage and first birth is a separate question and should not be inferred by subtracting two medians. Education and residence also show different timings. Median age at first birth describes when half of the defined cohort had become mothers; it is not a recommended age or an individual fertility deadline.
+1.5 yearsChange in median age at first birth from PDHS 1990–91 to 2017–18
Sources used
Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 1990–91
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
First Pakistan DHS wave, used with later waves for long-run comparisons in marriage and fertility indicators.View sourcePakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View source