The average age at first child is over 32 for Italian women. This is according to the Report on the Birth Event in Italy, produced by the Ministry of Health's Bureau of Statistics. The average age has risen from 31.5 in 2012 to 32.2 in 2022. For foreign women, however,the average age rose from 27.7 to 29.2. The phenomenon of denatality continues (535,428 total births in 2012, 393,997 in 2022), and in 2022 about 20 percent of births were to mothers of non-Italian citizenship. This phenomenon is more prevalent in areas of the country with a greater foreign presence, namely the North-Center, where more than 26 percent of births are to foreign mothers. The most represented geographical areas of origin are Africa (28.7 percent) and the European Union (19.6 percent). Mothers of Asian and South American origin make up 19.3% and 7.9% of foreign mothers, respectively. Of the women who gave birth in the year 2022, 42.5 percent had medium-high schooling, 22.7 percent medium-low schooling, and 34.8 percent had a bachelor's degree. However, among foreigners, medium-low schooling prevails (41.3%). The analysis of occupational status shows that 58.6 percent of mothers are employed, 24.7 percent are housewives, and 14.5 percent are unemployed or seeking their first job.
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