Almeria has youngest mothers on Spanish mainland

ALMERIA has the youngest mothers in mainland Spain, with an average age of 29 years and six months.

The only Spanish locations to beat Almeria are the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, where women become mothers one month earlier on average.

Almeria also has the highest birth rate, with 1.6 children per woman on average, again, only beaten by Ceuta and Melilla, with 2.15 and 2.35 children respectively.

Immigration has a lot to do with these figures, because the province has many residents of Arab origin, a culture where women tend to become mothers earlier and have more children, as can be seen in the two North African enclaves.

It is these women who keep the birth rate high and the average age for motherhood younger in Almeria. Despite being one of the provinces with the lowest numbers of inhabitants, Almeria has one of the highest birth rates in Spain, with 6,430 so far this year, of which 3,400 were boys.

Over the past three years, women have been entering motherhood earlier, but the number of children per women in the province, although still high, is falling gradually.

However, life expectancy is at 77.21 years, quite a way behind areas such as Guadalajara at 81.27.