Birth rate in Ireland
Ireland: Birth rate was 10.25 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Ireland stood at 10.25 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.6% on the previous year and down 31.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Ireland peaked at 23.23 births per 1,000 people in 1952 and was at its lowest, 10.25 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Ireland 164th out of 236 regions with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 22.18 births per 1,000 people | 21.18 births per 1,000 people | 23.23 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 21.57 births per 1,000 people | 20.81 births per 1,000 people | 22.28 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.63 births per 1,000 people | 20.97 births per 1,000 people | 22.41 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.29 births per 1,000 people | 14.94 births per 1,000 people | 21.69 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.19 births per 1,000 people | 13.42 births per 1,000 people | 15.11 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.39 births per 1,000 people | 14.3 births per 1,000 people | 16.77 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.27 births per 1,000 people | 11.99 births per 1,000 people | 16.6 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.99 births per 1,000 people | 10.25 births per 1,000 people | 11.95 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
- 161 Trinidad and Tobago 10.71 births per 1,000 people compare
- 162 United States 10.65 births per 1,000 people compare
- 165 Albania 10.24 births per 1,000 people compare
- 166 Kuwait 10.2 births per 1,000 people compare
- 167 Costa Rica 10.18 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Ireland
- 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)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 124,730 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.47 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.3% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.6 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Ireland?
- Birth rate in Ireland was 10.25 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 23.23 births per 1,000 people in 1952.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.25 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Ireland rank for birth rate?
- Ireland ranks 164th out of 236 regions with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 31.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.