Ireland’s birth rate continues to decline, with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reporting a 5% drop in births for 2023 compared to the previous year. A total of 54,678 births were registered last year, down from 57,540 in 2022.
The average age of mothers in Ireland has also risen, now standing at 33.2 years, the same as in 2022, up from 32.1 years a decade ago. Despite a brief increase in the birth rate in 2021, the overall trend has been downward over the past ten years. In 2013, Ireland boasted one of the highest birth rates in Europe at 1.98 children per woman. However, it now hovers just above the EU average of 1.5 children per woman. A birth rate of 2.1 children per woman is typically needed to sustain a population without immigration.
The CSO report also highlights that the total number of deaths in Ireland for 2023 was 35,549, which is 18 fewer than in 2022. Cancer and circulatory diseases were the leading causes of death, accounting for 56.8% of all fatalities.
This data underscores a significant demographic shift in Ireland, with potential long-term impacts on the country’s population structure and social services.