Fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland
Ireland: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.6 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.6 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
152nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.08 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.59 live births per woman
in 2022
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland stood at 1.6 live births per woman.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland peaked at 4.08 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.59 live births per woman, in 2022.
That places Ireland 152nd out of 236 countries 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.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.5 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.55 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 3.56 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 3.54 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 3.47 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1955 | 3.37 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1956 | 3.38 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 3.48 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 3.46 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1959 | 3.6 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 1960 | 3.75 live births per woman | +4.2% |
| 1961 | 3.78 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 3.93 live births per woman | +3.9% |
| 1963 | 4.03 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 4.08 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 4.04 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 3.94 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 3.84 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1968 | 3.77 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 3.82 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 3.85 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 3.93 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 3.85 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 3.71 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1974 | 3.59 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 3.37 live births per woman | -6.0% |
| 1976 | 3.29 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 3.24 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 3.21 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 3.21 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 3.21 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 3.06 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 2.95 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 2.75 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1984 | 2.59 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1985 | 2.49 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.44 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.31 live births per woman | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 2.17 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1989 | 2.08 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 2.08 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.99 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 1.9 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 1.85 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 1.84 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.88 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 1.93 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 1.94 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.9 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.89 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 1.94 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 1.97 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.93 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.86 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.92 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 2.01 live births per woman | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 2.06 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.06 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 2.06 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.99 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.9 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.86 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.82 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.77 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.72 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1.65 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 1.78 live births per woman | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 1.59 live births per woman | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 1.6 live births per woman | +0.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.6 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.6 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.49 live births per woman | 3.37 live births per woman | 3.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.9 live births per woman | 3.75 live births per woman | 4.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.53 live births per woman | 3.21 live births per woman | 3.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6 live births per woman | 2.08 live births per woman | 3.21 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.94 live births per woman | 1.84 live births per woman | 2.11 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.86 live births per woman | 2.06 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.72 live births per woman | 2.06 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 live births per woman | 1.59 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More population data for Ireland
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.4488 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1157 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 5,725 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.5372 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1844 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Population density 76.73 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 217,052 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Ireland was 1.6 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.08 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Ireland ranks 152nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.4%. 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 Fertility rate: births per woman. 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
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.