Women waiting until they are older to have babies

Last year, there were 58,443 births registered, marking an increase of 2,484 on 2020 but showing a significant fall since 2011.

Women are waiting until they are older before having children, new research from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed

The average age of first-time mothers in 2021 was 31. The average age of all mothers last year was 33, up slightly on the previous year and almost two years older than in 2011.

Just under 700 teenagers gave birth in 2021 with 16 of these babies born to girls under the age of 16. Meanwhile, 4,817 people over the age of 40 gave birth, of which 256 were aged 45 and over.

The number of births registered continues to fall, down almost a quarter in the ten years since 2011https://t.co/fBgJtzcDLZ#CSOIreland #Ireland #VitalStatistics #VitalStats #Births #Deaths #Marriages pic.twitter.com/BwnD9JmAlu

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) June 2, 2022

Ireland's birth rate has fallen by more than 20% in the past decade, the data has revealed. Last year, there were 58,443 births registered, marking an increase of 2,484 on 2020 but showing a significant fall since 2011.

The highest number of births were registered in Dublin city at 6,463, followed by Cork county where there were 5,418 registered births. For the second consecutive year, Leitrim had the lowest number of births with just 405 registered in 2021.

While the latest CSO data shows the birth rate falling, the number of deaths increased. In 2021, there were 33,055 deaths registered - up 14% in a decade.

The vast majority of people who lost their lives were aged 65 and over. Cancers, diseases of the circulatory system or diseases of the respiratory system accounted for two in three deaths in 2021.

The number of deaths increased by 1,228 or 16.6% from 7,398 to 8,626 in Q4 2021 compared with the same period in 2020https://t.co/bDplBxUksR#CSOIreland #Ireland #VitalStatistics #VitalStats #Births #Deaths #Marriages pic.twitter.com/AIFav9cZR9

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) June 2, 2022

In the final three months of the year, there were 8,626 deaths registered, an increase of 16% on the same period in 2020.

In the case of 3,011 deaths registered in 2021, Covid-19 was listed as the underlying cause of death. A further 495 mortality records contained a mention of the virus but the underlying cause of death was not Covid-19.

The death of a live-born infant under the age of one is categorised as an infant death. There were 180 infant deaths registered in 2021. Ten years ago, there were 258 infant deaths recorded equating to an infant mortality rate of 3.5 per 1,000 live births.

There were 140 neonatal deaths - deaths of infants under four weeks - registered last year.

As lockdown restrictions eased, couples raced down the aisle with almost double the number of weddings taking place last year compared to 2020.

There were a total of 17,217 marriages registered in 2021, of these 500 were same-sex marriages. The previous year when lockdown restrictions were more severe, just 9,523 took place.