Ireland's 2022 birth rate called lowest in 60 years

Source: Poland Sun

DUBLIN, Ireland: Ireland's birth rate fell to the lowest level in over 60 years in 2022, according to EU officials.

Between 1998 and 2011 Ireland had the highest birth rate among EU nations. However, notes officials, today Ireland has nearly fallen to the EU average.

In figures published by the European Commission, Ireland's overall decline in births is highlighted by a 13.5 percent decline just in 2022.

In terms of its position in the EU, Ireland now has the ninth-highest birth rate, as opposed to having the fourth-highest only one year ago.

During the Covid-19 lockdown, Ireland experienced a five-year high in births in 2021, reversing a downward trend.

Yet, the just-released figures show Ireland's birth rate fell from 1.78 live births per woman in 2021 to 1.54 in 2022. At the same time, the EU average was 1.46.

In 2021 there were 60,553 babies born in Ireland, dropping to 54,411 in 2022.

The birth rate had reached a high in Ireland this century in 2008 and 2009 at 2.08 live births per woman, compared to the EU average at the time of 1.57.

In contrast, Ireland's birth rate in 1960 was 4.07 live births per woman.

Within the EU, annual births dropped to less than 4 million for the first time on record in 2022 with 3.88 million births.

Published birth rates show France having the highest fertility rate in the EU with 1.79 live births per woman, followed by Romania (1.71), Bulgaria (1.65) and the Czech Republic (1.64).

The lowest birth rates are in Malta with 1.08 live births per woman, Spain (1.16) and Italy (1.24).

Also in 2022, the average age of a woman in Ireland having her first child was 31.5 years.