Abstract <p>The article presents the results of a study of the birth rate in the regions of the Southern Federal District in the period from 1989 to 2022. The authors focus on the postponement of childbirth to a later date, as well as the impact of this process on the dynamics of the total fertility rate and the transformation of the age profile of fertility. The authors found that over the entire time interval studied, the age model of fertility in the regions of the Southern Federal District was younger than the all-Russian one. By 2022, the average age of onset of motherhood in the regions ranged from 24.9 (Republic of Adygea) to 26.0 years (Krasnodar krai).</p>