Asian American Mothers: Oldest and Most Educated

Asian American women who had babies in 2016 distinguished themselves from other mothers in two ways, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report. They are much older, and they are far better educated.

Fully 66 percent of Asian American women who gave birth in 2016 were aged 30 or older, much higher than the 45 percent of all women who gave birth. Here is the percentage by Asian ethnic group...

Percent aged 30 or older
86.7% of Japanese
83.7% of Koreans
69.4% of Chinese
69.1% of Vietnamese
68.8% of Filipinos
64.2% of Asian Indians

The educational attainment of Asian American women who gave birth in 2016 is also remarkable. While 42 percent of all women aged 25 or older who gave birth in 2016 had a bachelor's degree or more education, among Asians the figure was 67 percent. Here is the percentage by Asian ethnic group...

Bachelor's degree or higher
82.5% of Asian Indians
80.3% of Koreans
71.7% of Chinese
70.1% of Japanese
58.2% of Filipinos
44.8% of Vietnamese

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Birth Data, Asian American Mothers: Demographic Characteristics by Maternal Place of Birth and Asian Subgroup, 2016