TEHRAN – In the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, which began on March 21, the average age of women who gave birth to their first child in Iran was 27.6 years old, compared to 27.5 years the previous year, according to a report by the National Civil Registration Authority.
The average five-month age of fathers at the birth of their first child was 32.3 years, the report added. The average age of first-time mothers was 28.3 years in urban areas and 24.4 years in rural areas. According to Borna News Agency, the average age of first-time mothers in urban areas was 33.1 years, while in rural areas it was 30.7 years.
During the same period, 272,238 marriages were registered across the country. The average age at first marriage was 24.2 years for women and 28.3 years for men.
In the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, a total of 540,528 births were registered during these seven months. There were 280,647 male births and 259,881 female births. Mehr News Agency reported that 421,264 births were registered in urban areas and 119,264 in rural areas.
During this period, 11,169 multiple fetuses were registered in the country. Of these, 10,806 were twins, 352 were triplets, and 11 were quadruplets.
Transition to an aging nation is ‘inevitable’
Given the fact that Iran’s birth rate remains stable at around 1.6 children per woman, much lower than the birth rate needed to replace the aging population, the transition of society from youth to middle age has become inevitable.
IRNA quoted Mohammad Javad Mahmoudi, an official at the National Population Research Institute, as saying that according to the first five-year national development plan (1989-1993), the policy was The focus was on reducing the total fertility rate from 6.4 people in 1986 to 4 people in 2011, and reducing the population growth rate from 3.2 percent to 2.3 percent over the same period. As they say, do your research.
However, the officials pointed out that the measures taken at that time led to significant transformations and changes in population indicators, resulting in population growth that far exceeded the goals set in the country’s first development plan and a marked decline in the birth rate.
Over the next 30 years, people aged 60 and over are projected to account for 32 percent of the total population. This means that by 2050, older people will account for one-third of Iran’s population, the official said.
MT/MG