Baby boom! Birth rates up significantly in Ireland compared to same time last year

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (Wednesday 24) released the Vital Statistics Quarter 1 2022 Release.

Key findings show:

• The number of births increased by 2,236 or 16.1% in Quarter 1 2022 (Q1) while there were 29 fewer deaths (0.3%) when compared with the same peiod in 2021
• There were 641 deaths due to COVID-19 in Q1 2022, accounting for 6.7% of deaths in the quarter of which 359 were male and 282 were female
• Cancer and circulatory disease were the biggest causes of death in Ireland in Q1 2022 accounting for 5,316 (or 55.8%) of deaths compared with 4,759 (or 49.8%) in Q1 2021
• Average age of all mothers in Q1 2022 was 33.3 years, which is an increase of 0.2 years when compared with Q1 2021, while 10 years ago the average age was 31.8 years for the same period
• More than two in five (43.6%) births were outside marriage/civil partnership
• The natural increase (i.e. births minus deaths) has risen by 52.3% compared with the same period in 2021

Regarding births, there were 8,254 male and 7,877 female born in quarter 1 2022. The 16,131 births represent an annual birth rate of 12.9 per thousand population. An increase of 1.7 in the rate that was recorded in quarter 1 2021.

Up to 70% of Irish homes could end up in energy poverty

Carlow students encouraged to get thinking caps on for BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition

The average age of first time mothers was 31.7, up 0.3 years from that recorded for the same period in the previous year.

The average age of all mothers at maternity for births registered in quarter 1 2022 was 33.3 years, which is up 0.2 years from that recorded in quarter 1 2021.

Births up by 16% in the first three months of 2022 while deaths decreased by 0.3% when compared to the same period in 2021https://t.co/JJycBG2owy#CSOIreland #Ireland #VitalStatistics #VitalStats #Births #Deaths #Marriages #IrishBabiesNames #BoysNames #GirlsNames #BabyNames pic.twitter.com/zJmUTbVSDh

— Central Statistics Office Ireland (@CSOIreland) August 24, 2022

The average age of first time mothers outside marriage/civil partnership was 30.1, while the average age of all mothers outside marriage/civil partnership was 31.2 years.

In the same quarter in 2021, the average age of mothers having their first baby outside marriage/civil partnership was 29.6 years while it was 30.9 years for all mothers for births registered outside of marriage/civil partnership.

The highest number of births registered was in Dublin City with 2,041 (12.7% of total live births in the country) followed by Cork County with 1,355 (8.4%) registered births.

Leitrim had the lowest number with 110 (0.7%) registered births in quarter 1 2022. The highest number of births registered in quarter 1 2021 was Dublin City which accounted for 1,360 or 9.8% of births followed by Cork County with 1,218 (8.8%). Longford had the lowest number, 117 births (0.8%), registered in quarter 1 2021.

In quarter 1 2022, there were 9,091 (56.4%) births registered as within marriage/civil partnership.

There were 7,040 births registered as outside marriage/civil partnership, accounting for 43.6% of all births in quarter 1 2022.

The highest percentage of births outside marriage/civil partnership was in Waterford City at 59.4% and the lowest was in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown with 27.3%.

In the same quarter in 2021, there were 5,566 births registered as outside marriage/civil partnership accounting for 40.1% of all births