Share of births outside marriage in Ireland
Ireland: Share of births outside marriage was 38.4 in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
38.4
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
25th
of 42 countries
All-time high
38.4
in 2019
All-time low
1.6
in 1960
Years of data
60
1960–2019
Share of births outside marriage in Ireland, 1960–2019
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2019, share of births outside marriage in Ireland stood at 38.4. That is the highest value across all 60 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Ireland peaked at 38.4 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 1.6, in 1960.
Ireland ranks 25th of 42 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of births outside marriage in Ireland, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.6 | — |
| 1961 | 1.6 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 1.8 | +12.5% |
| 1963 | 1.8 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 2 | +11.1% |
| 1965 | 2.2 | +10.0% |
| 1966 | 2.3 | +4.5% |
| 1967 | 2.5 | +8.7% |
| 1968 | 2.6 | +4.0% |
| 1969 | 2.6 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.7 | +3.8% |
| 1971 | 2.7 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 2.9 | +7.4% |
| 1973 | 3.2 | +10.3% |
| 1974 | 3.4 | +6.2% |
| 1975 | 3.7 | +8.8% |
| 1976 | 3.8 | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 4.2 | +10.5% |
| 1978 | 4.3 | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 4.6 | +7.0% |
| 1980 | 5.9 | +28.3% |
| 1981 | 6.2 | +5.1% |
| 1982 | 7.2 | +16.1% |
| 1983 | 7.9 | +9.7% |
| 1984 | 8 | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 8.5 | +6.2% |
| 1986 | 9.6 | +12.9% |
| 1987 | 10.9 | +13.5% |
| 1988 | 11.9 | +9.2% |
| 1989 | 12.8 | +7.6% |
| 1990 | 14.6 | +14.1% |
| 1991 | 16.9 | +15.8% |
| 1992 | 18 | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 19.9 | +10.6% |
| 1994 | 20.8 | +4.5% |
| 1995 | 22.3 | +7.2% |
| 1996 | 25.3 | +13.5% |
| 1997 | 26.8 | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 28.7 | +7.1% |
| 1999 | 31.1 | +8.4% |
| 2000 | 31.5 | +1.3% |
| 2001 | 31.3 | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 31.2 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 31.2 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 31.9 | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 31.8 | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 32.7 | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 33.1 | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 33.4 | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 33.4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 33.8 | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 33.9 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 35.1 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 35.3 | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 36.3 | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 36.6 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 36.7 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 37.6 | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 37.9 | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 38.4 | +1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.55 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.89 | 5.9 | 12.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.44 | 14.6 | 31.1 | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.15 | 31.2 | 33.4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 36.16 | 33.8 | 38.4 | 10 |
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)
- Population growth rate -0.455 (2100)
- Population density 76.73 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 217,052 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of births outside marriage in Ireland?
- Share of births outside marriage in Ireland was 38.4 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4 in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6 in 1960.
- How does Ireland rank for share of births outside marriage?
- Ireland ranks 25th out of 42 countries with data for 2019.
- Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 60 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).