Average age of new mums rises to highest yet, new CSO figures show

2nd November 2023

Births rose in 2021 even as women are increasingly older when having children and the total fertility rate remains well below replacement level, according to new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The number of women giving birth aged 40 and over increased by more than one-third between 2011 and 2021, while the number giving birth under the age of 20 more than halved.

The average age of mothers at maternity rose to 33.3 years in 2021, the highest since the information was first recorded in 1995.

60,575 babies were born in Ireland in 2021, an increase of 6.6pc from the previous year. However, this is down from 74,033 in 2011, even though the overall population of the country has increased.

The birth rate per 1,000 population in 2021 was 11.9; in 2011, it was 16.2.

The total period fertility rate (TPFR) was 1.73 in 2021. A figure of 2.1 is considered to be the replacement rate.

Over 40pc of births occurred outside of marriage. In disadvantaged areas, a majority of births often take place outside marriage, including in Limerick City. The lowest level of births outside marriage (29pc) occurred in one of the country’s most affluent areas, Dun Laoghaire.

Meanwhile, on mortality, there were 449 deaths from suicide in 2021, of which 359 were males and 90 were females.