Births, Deaths and Stillbirths in 2006
Largest natural increase since 1982
The number of births in Ireland in 2006 was 65,425. This was made up of 33,655 males and 31,770 females. This was the highest number of births recorded since 1983 when there were 67,117 births.
The number of deaths which occurred during 2006 was 28,488, comprising 14,605 males and 13,883 females. The death rate was 6.7 per 1,000 population compared with 6.8 in 2005.
The resultant natural increase in population (difference between births and deaths) was 36,937. This was the largest natural increase in population since 1982 when an increase of 38,386 was recorded.
These figures are contained in the Central Statistics Office’s Vital Statistics Annual Report for 2006.
Births
There were 65,425 births in 2006, an increase of 4,053 on the 2005 figure. This increase can largely be explained by a corresponding increase in the female population of child-bearing age and also a small increase in the fertility rate from 1.88 in 2005 to 1.94 in 2006.
There were 2,335 births to teenage mothers. The resulting birth rate of 16.4 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 was the lowest teenage birth rate since 1995. Birth rates increased in the last year in all other age categories, with the birth rate for women aged 35 to 39 (91 per 1,000 women) and 40 to 44 (18 per 1,000 women) being the highest since 1982 and 1987 respectively.
Almost 33% of births in 2006 were outside marriage. For women having their first child, almost 44% of births were outside marriage. This figure decreases to 28.5% of second children born outside marriage, and 20% of third children born outside marriage.
Deaths
There have been significant decreases in death rates among older people in the last decade. For example, the death rate for people aged between 65 and 74 has reduced from 30 deaths per 1,000 people in 1996, to 19 deaths per 1,000 people in 2006. Similarly, the death rate for people aged 75 to 84 has reduced from 80 deaths per 1,000 people in 1996 to 58 deaths per 1,000 people in 2006.
Male mortality rates continue to be higher than female rates but the gap is narrowing. Male death rates reduced by 25.6% to a rate of 6.89 per 1,000 population from 1996 to 2006, compared to a 20.5% reduction to a rate of 6.55 per 1,000 population in the corresponding female death rate.
Over 3 in every 4 deaths were from either diseases of the circulatory system, cancer or diseases of the respiratory system. There were 9,980 (35%), deaths due to circulatory diseases (which include heart disease and stroke), 8,066 (28%) deaths due to cancer, and 4,079 (14%) deaths due to respiratory diseases.
Males accounted for 55% of heart attack deaths, with 1,594 male deaths from heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction) and 1,312 female deaths. On the other hand, females accounted for 60% of stroke deaths, with 1,162 female deaths from stroke (cerebrovascular disease) and 785 male deaths.
The most common types of cancer deaths among men were cancers of the lung and larynx, and prostate cancer, 1,033 and 543 occurrences respectively. The most common causes of cancer deaths among women were breast cancer and cancers of the lung and larynx, 678 and 668 occurrences respectively.
Deaths due to injury and poisoning amounted to 1,664 or one in seventeen (5.8%) of all deaths. Over 70% of these deaths were males.
Report on Vital Statistics 2006 is priced at €12 and is available on our website http://www.cso.ie
Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork,
Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2,
or through any bookseller.
For more information contact Sandra Tobin (LoCall 1890 313 414 ext 5307).
30 June 2009
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