Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland

Ireland: Share of low birthweight babies born was 5.65 in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
5.65
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
140th
of 157 countries
All-time high
5.65
in 2020
All-time low
4.79
in 2000
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland, 2000–2020

02462000201020202000: 4.82001: 4.82002: 4.92003: 4.92004: 4.92005: 52006: 52007: 5.12008: 5.22009: 5.32010: 5.32011: 5.42012: 5.52013: 5.52014: 5.52015: 5.52016: 5.52017: 5.52018: 5.62019: 5.62020: 5.6

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Ireland recorded 5.65 for share of low birthweight babies born in 2020. That is the highest value across all 21 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 5.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland peaked at 5.65 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 4.79, in 2000.

That places Ireland 140th out of 157 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.

Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 4.79
2001 4.82 +0.6%
2002 4.85 +0.6%
2003 4.88 +0.6%
2004 4.92 +0.7%
2005 4.96 +0.8%
2006 5.01 +1.1%
2007 5.08 +1.4%
2008 5.17 +1.7%
2009 5.26 +1.8%
2010 5.34 +1.6%
2011 5.42 +1.4%
2012 5.47 +1.0%
2013 5.5 +0.5%
2014 5.52 +0.3%
2015 5.52 +0.1%
2016 5.52 +0.1%
2017 5.54 +0.3%
2018 5.56 +0.4%
2019 5.6 +0.7%
2020 5.65 +0.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 4.97 4.79 5.26 10
2010s 5.5 5.34 5.6 10
2020s 5.65 5.65 5.65 1

Countries ranked near Ireland

  1. 137 Uzbekistan 5.85 compare
  2. 138 Ukraine 5.73 compare
  3. 139 Netherlands 5.65 compare
  4. 141 Poland 5.61 compare
  5. 142 Kazakhstan 5.29 compare
  6. 143 Bosnia and Herzegovina 5.15 compare

See the full ranking of 157 places →

More population data for Ireland

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland?
Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland was 5.65 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 5.65 in 2020.
What is the lowest share of low birthweight babies born recorded in Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 4.79 in 2000.
How does Ireland rank for share of low birthweight babies born?
Ireland ranks 140th out of 157 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of low birthweight babies born rising or falling in Ireland?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of low birthweight babies born. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of low birthweight babies born in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-low-birthweight-babies-born/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of low birthweight babies born
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
157 places, 3,297 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed