The number of births were up 16 per cent in the first three months of 2022, increasing by 2,236, according to the latest figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
While deaths decreased by 0.3 per cent, or 29 fewer deaths, compared to the same period in 2021.
There were 8,254 male births and 7,877 female births in the first quarter of 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 the first quarter of 2021.
The average age of all mothers in the first quarter of 2022 was 33.3 years, which is an increase of 0.2 years when compared with the same period of 2021, while 10 years ago the average age was 31.8 years for the same period.
More than two in five (43.6 per cent) births were outside marriage/civil partnership.
There were 9,091 (56.4 per cent) births registered as within marriage/civil partnership, and 7,040 births registered as outside marriage/civil partnership, accounting for 43.6 per cent of all births in quarter one of 2022.
Of the 16,131 births in quarter one of 2022, there were 12,508 babies (77.5 per cent) born to mothers of Irish nationality.
The natural increase (births minus deaths) has risen by 52.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2021.
Deaths
There were 641 deaths due to Covid-19 in the first quarter of 2022, accounting for 6.7 per cent of deaths. Out of these Covid-related deaths, 359 were male and 282 were female.
Cancer and circulatory disease were the biggest causes of death in the first three months of 2022, accounting for 5,316 (or 55.8 per cent) of deaths compared with 4,759 (or 49.8 per cent) in the same period in 2021.
There were 277 deaths due to accidents, suicides and other external causes. Accidents accounted for 71.5 per cent (198) of these deaths while suicides accounted for 26.4 per cent (73). This figure of 73 reflects an increase of 102.8. per cent from the same quarter of 2021. Of these suicide deaths, 82.2 per cent (60) were male.
Gerard Doolan, Statistician in the Vital Statistics Division, said: “The number of deaths in Quarter 1 2022 decreased by 29 or 0.3 per cent compared with the same period last year. There were 641 deaths due to Covid-19 in this period accounting for one in fifteen (6.7 per cent) of all deaths in the period.
“Deaths due to malignant neoplasms (cancer) and circulatory disease were the biggest causes of death in Q1 2022 and accounted for more than half (55.8 per cent) of all deaths.
“Looking at births, we can see the number of births has increased by 2,236 (or 16.1 per cent) when compared with the same quarter in the previous year, up from 13,895 in Q1 2021 to 16,131 in Q1 2022. Births to teenage mothers increased from 179 in Q1 2021 to 194 in Q1 2022.
“The average age of mothers was 33.3 in Q1 2022, which is an increase of 0.2 years from that reported in the same quarter in 2021, while 10 years ago the average age was 31.8 years for the same period.”
