The CSO, through Ireland's Institute for SDGs (IIS), supports reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals.
SDG 17.18.1 Statistical Capacity Indicator for Sustainable Development Goal Monitoring
SDG 17.18.2 Number of Countries that have National Statistical Legislation that Complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
SDG 17.18.3 Number of Countries with a National Statistical Plan that is Fully Funded and Under Implementation, by Source of Funding
SDG 17.19.1 Dollar Value of all Resources Made Available to Strengthen Statistical Capacity in Developing Countries<
SDG 17.19.2 Proportion of Countries that (a) Have Conducted at Least One Population and Housing Census in the Last 10 Years; and (b) Have Achieved 100 Per Cent Birth Registration and 80 Per Cent Death Registration
SDG 17.18.1 Statistical capacity indicator for sustainable development goal monitoring - information is available from Ireland's official published information on SDGs. The IAEG-SDGs is currently reviewing a statistical capacity indicator for SDG 17.18.1.
Ireland’s Official SDG Data Hub is a collaboration platform for reporting on progress towards the goals and sharing information on related initiatives. Ireland's progress against each goal is measured using a set of United Nations (UN) global and European Union (EU) agreed targets and indicators.
The CSO SDG Data Hub contains links to all of the 17 reports published in the series from the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which monitor and report on how Ireland is progressing towards meeting its targets under the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
A summary of the sustainable development indicators data produced in these 17 UN SDG reports for Ireland, by type of disaggregation is shown in Table 10.1. These are the main headline categories of data disaggregation provided in the CSO reports. Links to more detailed levels of disaggregation and detailed publications about the indicators data are included in the body of the reports, where available.
Data are presented in categories relevant to the indicators and geographical location, where possible. The SDGs and their associated indicators are, by design, wide-ranging in their coverage. As a result, the Irish data is provided by a number of sources including government departments, official organisations and international organisations such as the United Nations (UN). These 17 publications for Ireland's UN SDGs were developed in collaboration with the lead government departments for each goal, as indicated in Ireland's SDG Policy Map.
SDG 17.18.2 Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the fundamental principles of official statistics - information is available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO adheres fully to the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics, adopted by the UN Statistical Commission (UN Economic and Social Council, 1994, Report of the Special Session of the Statistical Commission, New York, 11-15 April 1994, E/1994/29).
These principles are reflected in the Statistics Act 1993 which is available on the CSO website.
In addition, the CSO is compliant with the European Statistics Code of Practice and have developed the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice to support other Irish producers of Official Statistics. The CSO is legally required to lead and coordinate the compilation of European Statistics in Ireland.
The Commitment on Confidence in Statistics approved by the government is a further declaration of support for the existing laws and for those policies and practices instigated by the CSO to meet its obligations under the European Statistics Code of Practice.
The National Statistical Legislation is published on the CSO website.
SDG 17.18.3 Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding - information is available from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The CSO Statement of Strategy 2020-2023 sets out the work plans for the next three years. The CSO subscribes fully to the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics. In addition, the CSO is compliant with the European Statistics Code of Practice and have developed the Irish Statistical System Code of Practice to support other Irish producers of Official Statistics. The CSO is legally required to lead and coordinate the compilation of European Statistics in Ireland.
The CSO 2030 document sets out the long term strategy for the CSO.
The financial and accounting rules and procedures in the CSO accord with relevant legislation and with the circulars and guidelines issued by the Department of Finance (See FOI Model Publication Scheme). Information is also available in the Public Financial Procedures publication.
CSO Accounts are Vote 4 - Central Statistics Office.
SDG 17.19.1 Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries - no data is available at national level. International information is published annually by the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21).
The UN SDG metadata repository gives the definition in the SDG 17.19.1 metadata document as follows:
The indicator Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries is based on the Partner Report on Support to Statistics (PRESS) that is designed and administered by PARIS21 to provide a snapshot of the US dollar value of ongoing statistical support in developing countries.
The most recent information is published in the Partner Report on Support to Statistics (PRESS) 2021, which outlines the latest information summarised here.
The Partner Report on Support to Statistics 2021 updates the status of international funding to data and statistics with new data from different data sources and the nowcasting methodology developed by PARIS21. The report provides the most recent analysis of funding flows towards data and statistical projects since the pandemic. For the first time, PRESS 2021 provides new perspectives on funding flows by examining projects with partial components related to data and statistics, analysing funding to new data sources, digital technologies, and administrative data systems. The report also introduces a new spotlight section on financing for civil registration and vital statistics systems, followed by fact sheets on different dimensions of primary support to data and statistics.
PRESS 2021 uses a mixed-methods approach to shape the narrative on the evolution of data and statistics financing. The report employs novel quantitative techniques for estimating trends related to funding to data and statistics and complements them with qualitative insights gathered from a range of expert interviews.
The OECD webpage on Data for Development Profiles provides the following information:
Sound and timely data and statistics are essential for designing better policies for better lives. When the right data are available and used by policy makers, they play a crucial role in managing crises, as revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are also indispensable for transparent and accountable delivery of policies and services and to guide business and investment decisions in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The first 2021 edition of the OECD’s Data for Development Profiles is a unique source of information and insights on how members of the Development Co-operation Committee (DAC) allocate official development assistance (ODA) to statistical capacity development and strengthening data ecosystems in low and middle income countries. By providing a comprehensive overview of members’ data and statistical policy priorities, strategies, funding, delivery modalities and partnerships, the profiles serve as a baseline for co-ordinating international support and highlight ways forward for greater impact and effectiveness.
The OECD webpage on Data for Development Profiles also publishes Data for Development Profiles - Official Development Assistance for Data and Statistical Systems – European Union. The European Union (EU) is a major source of funding and technical assistance for data and statistics in developing countries. Strengthening partner country capacities to produce and disseminate statistics is part of the EU’s overall capacity building activities. It prioritises reliable statistics for macroeconomic management, project management and the evaluation of objectives. The EU supports statistical capacity building primarily in countries in Eastern and South East Europe, Europe’s Southern Neighbourhood, and sub-Saharan Africa.
SDG 17.19.2 Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration - information is published by (a) the CSO, Census of Population and (b) the General Register Office.
The Census of Population (CoP) in Ireland conducted every 5 years, includes a Census of housing. Detailed information on the Census of Ireland and the questions asked on the form are available on the Census of Ireland website.
A History of Census in Ireland is on the CSO website, which shows that the Census was conducted every 10 years from 1841 until 1946, apart from 1921, due to the Civil War. From 1946 onwards the Census was conducted every 5 years (exceptions being 2001 and 2021, when Census was postponed by a year due to ‘Foot and Mouth’ and COVID-19 respectively). See Table 10.2.
It is a legal requirement in Ireland that a record be kept of each birth, marriage and death that occurs in the State. General Register Office is the central civil repository for records relating to births, deaths and marriages in Ireland.
You will need to register the birth of your child no later than three months after his or her birth. Registration is a legal requirement in Ireland, but you will also need a birth certificate to enrol your child in school, to apply for a passport and for many other purposes.
A birth may be registered in the office of any registrar of births, marriages and deaths, regardless of where it took place. See the General Register Office details for registering births.
Following a death, a registered medical practitioner who attended the deceased must complete and sign part 1 of the Death Notification Form (DNF). Part 1 includes the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD).
This form is given to a relative or civil partner of the deceased, or if there are none, to another qualified informant.
This form is then used to register the death. A relative, civil partner or another qualified informant must register the death within 3 months of the death occurring. See the General Register Office details for registering a death.
The CSO’s Vital Statistics section publishes various detailed statistical reports on births, deaths and marriages, including quarterly and annual reports, and a yearly Summary.
Recently published data from the CSO’s Vital Statistics Section are in the Vital Statistics Yearly Summary 2021.
The number of marriages, civil partnerships, births, deaths and natural increase from 2011-2021 can be seen in Table 10.3.
The number of births less the number of deaths in 2021 resulted in a natural increase of population of 25,388 persons, 4.9% higher than the natural increase of 24,194 in 2020. See Table 10.3.
There were 58,443 births registered in 2021, 29,823 male births and 28,620 female births, an increase of 2,484 on 2020. The 2021 total is 21.7% lower than in 2011 when 74,650 births were registered.
The 58,443 births represent an annual birth rate of 11.7 per thousand population. This rate is 0.5 per thousand population higher than in 2020. See Table 10.4.
There were 33,055 deaths registered in 2021, of these 17,212 were male and 15,843 were female. The 2021 total is 4.1% higher than in 2020 when 31,765 deaths were registered.
The 33,055 deaths represent an annual death rate of 6.6 per thousand population. See Table 10.5.
