Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland
Ireland: Annual birth rate and peak birth month was 10.57 births per 1,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Latest (2022)
10.57 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 11.6%
World rank
11th
of 41 countries
All-time high
22.72 births per 1,000 people
in 1972
All-time low
10.57 births per 1,000 people
in 2022
Years of data
73
1950–2022
Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland, 1950–2022
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland is 10.57 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 73 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 11.6% on the previous year and down 32.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland peaked at 22.72 births per 1,000 people in 1972 and was at its lowest, 10.57 births per 1,000 people, in 2022.
That places Ireland 11th out of 41 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 73 years of available data.
Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.93 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 21.49 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1952 | 21.93 births per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 1953 | 21.3 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1954 | 21.39 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 21.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1956 | 21 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1957 | 21.28 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 20.79 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1959 | 21.14 births per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 21.43 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 1961 | 21.18 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 21.85 births per 1,000 people | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 22.29 births per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 22.47 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1965 | 22.16 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1966 | 21.58 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 21.16 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 20.92 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 21.45 births per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 21.78 births per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 22.71 births per 1,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 22.72 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 22.43 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1974 | 22.14 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1975 | 21.26 births per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1976 | 21.11 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1977 | 21.16 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 21.27 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 21.6 births per 1,000 people | +1.6% |
| 1980 | 21.79 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 20.99 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 20.44 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1983 | 19.23 births per 1,000 people | -5.9% |
| 1984 | 18.25 births per 1,000 people | -5.1% |
| 1985 | 17.69 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1986 | 17.4 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1987 | 16.47 births per 1,000 people | -5.4% |
| 1988 | 15.43 births per 1,000 people | -6.3% |
| 1989 | 14.79 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 15.11 births per 1,000 people | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 14.96 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 14.39 births per 1,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 13.81 births per 1,000 people | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 13.46 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 13.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 13.97 births per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 14.44 births per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1998 | 14.61 births per 1,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 14.45 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2000 | 14.51 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 15.1 births per 1,000 people | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 15.52 births per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 15.53 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 15.39 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2005 | 14.94 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 15.56 births per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 16.47 births per 1,000 people | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 16.87 births per 1,000 people | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 16.71 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 16.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 16.19 births per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 15.61 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 14.95 births per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 2014 | 14.5 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 2015 | 14.01 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 13.5 births per 1,000 people | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 12.9 births per 1,000 people | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 12.54 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 2019 | 12 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 11.16 births per 1,000 people | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 11.96 births per 1,000 people | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 10.57 births per 1,000 people | -11.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 10.57 births per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.31 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 10.57 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 9.33 births per 1,000 people, 1.1× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.34 births per 1,000 people | 20.79 births per 1,000 people | 21.93 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 21.65 births per 1,000 people | 20.92 births per 1,000 people | 22.47 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.82 births per 1,000 people | 21.11 births per 1,000 people | 22.72 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.25 births per 1,000 people | 14.79 births per 1,000 people | 21.79 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.28 births per 1,000 people | 13.46 births per 1,000 people | 15.11 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.66 births per 1,000 people | 14.51 births per 1,000 people | 16.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.27 births per 1,000 people | 12 births per 1,000 people | 16.52 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.23 births per 1,000 people | 10.57 births per 1,000 people | 11.96 births per 1,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 8 United States 10.72 births per 1,000 people compare
- 9 Estonia 10.64 births per 1,000 people compare
- 10 Czechia 10.61 births per 1,000 people compare
- 12 Slovakia 10.47 births per 1,000 people compare
- 13 United Kingdom 10.01 births per 1,000 people compare
- 14 Belarus 9.91 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Ireland
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -1.68 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 217,052 people (2100)
- Population density 76.73 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland?
- Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Ireland was 10.57 births per 1,000 people in 2022, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 22.72 births per 1,000 people in 1972.
- What is the lowest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.57 births per 1,000 people in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for annual birth rate and peak birth month?
- Ireland ranks 11th out of 41 countries with data for 2022.
- Is annual birth rate and peak birth month rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual birth rate and peak birth month. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.