There were 54,483 babies born in Ireland during 2022, down 10.1% or by 6,092 fewer babies when compared with 2021.
The total period fertility rate (TPFR) for 2022 stood at 1.5 which is below replacement level of 2.1.
In 2022, there were 958 twin maternities and 11 triplet maternities, born in Ireland.
There were 35,804 deaths in Ireland in 2022, of which 18,553 were males and 17,251 were females.
The number of people who died aged 100 years and over in 2022 was 303.
Neoplasms accounted for the largest number of deaths in 2022 at 10,361, followed by deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system at 9,930 and 3,874 deaths from diseases of the respiratory system.
Between 2012 and 2022, there has been a 109% increase in the number of dementia-related deaths.
There were 106 stillbirths registered in 2022 and 188 deaths of infants under one year of age.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (31 October 2024) released the Vital Statistics Annual Report 2022.
Commenting on the Annual Report, Seán O’Connor, Statistician in Life Events and Demography Division, said:
“The CSO’s Vital Statistics Annual Report 2022, provides an abundance of information on both births and deaths across a range of different themes over the 12-month period, such as births by age of mother, period of gestation, and nationality. Data produced in relation to deaths in Ireland includes breakdowns by geography, sex, age, and detailed information relating to the underlying cause of death.
Crude Birth and Death Rates
There were 54,483 babies born in 2022, down 10.1% from 2021. This represented an annual birth rate of 10.5 per 1,000 of population compared with 15.6 per 1,000 population in 2012.
There were 35,804 deaths in Ireland in 2022, which equates to an annual death rate of 6.9 per 1,000 of population compared with 6.4 per 1,000 of population in 2012.
Fertility Rate
The total period fertility rate (TPFR) is derived from the age specific fertility rates in the current year. It represents the projected number of children a woman would have if she experienced current age specific fertility rates while progressing from age 15-49 years. A value of 2.1 is generally considered to be the level at which the population would replace itself in the long run, ignoring migration.
In 2022 the TPFR for Ireland was 1.5, which is below replacement level of 2.1. In 2012 the TPFR stood at 2.0, and 50 years previously in 1972 it was 3.9.
Age of Mothers
Looking back 30 and 50 years ago, the average age of mothers in 1992 was 29.7 years and 29.1 years in 1972. In 2022, the average age of mothers giving birth was 33.2 years, which is a slight decrease in the average age of mothers at maternity, compared with 2021 when it was 33.3 years.
There were 781 babies born to teenagers in 2022, up 10.0% from 2021 when 710 babies were born. In 2022, 1.4% (781) births were to teenage mothers, while 0.7% were to mothers aged 45 years and over.
Births within Marriage/Civil Partnership
Nearly six out of every ten births (57.1%) or 31,101 in Ireland in 2022 were born within marriage/civil partnerships, with the remaining 23,382 (42.9%) being born outside marriage/civil partnership. Over the last 30 years this has changed significantly as in 1992, the share of births within marriage/civil partnership stood at 82.0%.
Births to First-Time Mothers
First-time mothers accounted for 21,943 or 40.3% of all births occurring in 2022. Within the state, Roscommon recorded the region with the highest proportion of first-time mothers. Of the 688 births which occurred in 2022, 383 of these or 55.7% were first-time mothers. This share was lowest in Monaghan, where 31.5% of the 696 births were to first-time mothers.
Births by Nationality and by Location
Births to mothers of Irish nationality accounted for roughly three-quarters (75.6%) of births in 2022. While this decrease from 2021, when the share stood at 77.7%, this is almost unchanged from 10 years ago when the share stood at 75.9%, in 2012.
There were 300 domiciliary or home births in Ireland in 2022, which accounted for just 0.6% of total births. Regions such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (1.3%), Wicklow (1.0%), and Cork County, (1.0%) amongst others, recorded shares of domiciliary births which were greater than the national average.
Deaths
There were 35,804 deaths in Ireland in 2022, of which 18,553 were males and 17,251 were females. This equates to an annual death rate of 6.9 per 1,000 of population, unchanged from a year previous.
In 2022 the most frequent age at death for males was 84 years (3.5%), while for females it was 88 years (4.0%). The most common age at death 10 years ago in 2012 was 82 years for males (3.5%) and 87 years for females (4.2%).
Infant Deaths
The death of a live-born infant under the age of one is categorised as an infant death. There were 188 infant deaths in 2022 giving an infant mortality rate of 3.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, up 0.2 from 2021. Neonatal deaths are deaths of infants at ages under four weeks. There were 137 neonatal deaths in 2022, a decrease of 15 on the 2021 figure. The neonatal mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 2.5 in 2022, unchanged from 2021.
Most Common Causes of Death
Neoplasms accounted for the largest number of deaths in 2022 at 10,361, followed by deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system at 9,930 and 3,874 deaths from diseases of the respiratory system.
Deaths due to accidents, suicide and other external causes accounted for a further 1,670 or 4.7% of all deaths in 2022.
Between 2021 and 2022, there was a 4.8% increase in malignant neoplasm deaths (cancers). Cancers of the bronchus and lungs were the most common causes of death which accounted for 1,963 of the 10,100 cancer deaths in 2022. These were followed by cancers of the breast (792), cancers of the pancreas (630), and cancers of the prostate (616).
Between 2012 and 2022, there has been a 109% increase in the number of dementia-related deaths. In 2022, dementia collectively accounted for 5.5% of all deaths.
A total of 1,632 deaths occurred due to Covid-19 in 2022, down 48.7% from 2021, when the number of deaths stood at 3,178.
Deaths by Location
In terms of where people died in 2022, there were 14,880 deaths (41.6%) that occurred in general and orthopaedic hospitals, 9,245 (25.8%) were domiciliary deaths, and 6,081 (17.0%) deaths occurred in nursing homes.
For those aged under 35 years, the most common place of death was the home (253 out of 789 deaths), while general and orthopaedic hospitals were the most common location of deaths among those aged over 35 years (14,661 out of 35,015 deaths)."