The number of registered births decreased by almost 14 per cent in the first quarter of this year when compared to the same period in 2022, according to new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This is well below replacement level. Meanwhile, the number of registered deaths rose by 7pc.

The CSO’s latest vital statistics for the first three months of 2023 recorded 13,968 births, down from the 16,131 births in the same period the previous year, a decrease of 13.4 per cent. There were 10,025 deaths, an increase of 7pc, meaning the natural amount of population increase in the quarter was less than 4,000.

In the first quarter of 2013, there were 17,563 births and 8,347 deaths.

The report also shows that 42.6pc of births were outside marriage in the period.