Marriage and motherhood after 40 on the rise in Kazakhstan

The share of women in Kazakhstan marrying and having children for the first time after age 40 is rising. In 2025, nearly 5,000 women over 40 registered their first marriages, while women in the same age group gave birth to more than 16,000 children, according to the Bureau of National Statistics.

In 2025, 4,900 women over age 40 registered their first marriages, up 5.7% from 2021. Their share among all women entering a first marriage increased from 4% to 5.5%.

According to Finprom analysts, most women entering their first marriage after age 40 were between 40 and 49, accounting for 3,600 women. Another 1,100 women registered their first marriage after age 50. In addition, about 200 to 300 women of retirement age enter their first marriages each year.

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A similar trend can be seen among men. The share of grooms over 40 among all men entering a first marriage increased from 5% in 2021 to 5.9% in 2025.

However, the absolute number of such men declined, from 5,700 in 2021 to 5,300 in 2025, a decrease of 7.3%.

The average age at first marriage in Kazakhstan is currently about 28 for men and 25.2 to 25.3 for women.

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More people are remarrying after 40

The age profile of people entering marriage after divorce is also changing. In 2021, the average age at divorce was 38.8 for men and 37.3 for women. By 2025, those figures had fallen to 36.2 and 34, respectively.

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As a result, by age 40, the pool of potential spouses includes a growing number of people who have previously been married and may be entering a subsequent marriage.

In 2025, about 10,600 previously married men over 40 entered new marriages, including 6,600 men ages 40 to 49.

The trend is more pronounced among women. The number of divorced women over 40 who remarried increased from 6,600 in 2021 to 7,500 in 2025, a 14.5% increase.

Remarriages rose particularly sharply among women ages 40 to 49, increasing from 4,300 to 5,100.

Childbirth is also shifting to later ages

It is not only marriage that is occurring later in life. The average age of women at childbirth increased from 29.4 in 2021 to 29.9 in 2025. In urban areas, the figure has already surpassed 30.

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In 2025, women over 40 gave birth to 16,300 children, 2.5% more than in 2021. Another 148 children were born to women over 50.

Over the four-year period, the share of children born to women over 40 increased from 3.6% to 4.9% of all newborns.

At the same time, about 1,300 to 1,500 firstborn children are born in Kazakhstan each year to women over 40. A much larger number of children born to women in this age group are second or subsequent children: In 2025, the figure was 14,400.

Where birth rates are highest

Overall, the birth rate among women ages 40 to 44 has declined, from 24.5 births per 1,000 women in 2021 to 22.4 in 2025.

By contrast, the rate among women ages 45 to 49 increased from 1.4 to 1.9 births per 1,000 women.

There are significant regional differences. In 2025, the lowest birth rates among women ages 40 to 44 were recorded in the North Kazakhstan region, at 10.7 births per 1,000 women; the Kostanay region, at 12.2; and the Akmola region, at 16.1.

The highest rates were recorded in the Kyzylorda region, at 32.9 births per 1,000 women, and the Mangystau region, at 31.6.

Overall, data from the Bureau of National Statistics point to several concurrent trends: More women are entering their first marriages after 40, the number of divorced women in this age group who remarry is increasing, and the share of children born to women over 40 has also grown in recent years.