Births, Deaths and Stillbirths in 2008

The CSO today released the Vital Statistics Annual 2008 report. This report gives a breakdown of the births and deaths that occurred in 2008. Some of the key points highlighted in the report are as follows:

Births

• There were 73,996 children born in Ireland during 2008, up 2,607 or 3.7% from 2007 and up 20,027 or 37.1% since 1998. The birth rate was 16.7 per 1,000 of the population compared with 16.5 in 2007 and 14.6 in 1998.

• The total period fertility rate, or the average number of children per woman, increased from 2.05 in 2007 to 2.07 in 2008. While this was the highest total period fertility rate since 1991, it remained just below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. This is the fertility rate that must be maintained to replace the population in the absence of migration.

• Ireland continues to have the highest fertility rate of the 27 EU member states at 2.07 children per woman.

• The number of babies born in 2008 was the highest since 1980 when there were 74,064 births, the only year in the 20th century to have a higher birth rate. Prior to that, it was in 1892, when there were 74,029 births in Ireland (excluding Northern Ireland for comparative purposes) and it is the third consecutive annual increase.

• In 2008, there were 25,011 babies born to women aged 30 to 34, the highest number of all age groups.

• In 1993, there was an important shift in the age structure of fertility. Prior to 1993, the age-specific fertility rate was highest among women aged 25 to 29. (The age-specific fertility rate is the number of births per woman within a specific age group.) In 1993 the highest fertility rate shifted from that age group to women aged 30 to 34.

• Almost 22% of births in 2008 were to mothers of non-Irish nationality.

• The number of births outside marriage that occurred in 2008 was 24,732 or 33.4% of all births.

Deaths

• There were 28,274 deaths in Ireland in 2008, of which 14,457 were males and 13,817 were females. This is equivalent to a rate of 6.4 deaths per 1,000 total population compared to 6.5 in 2007 and 6.7 in 2006. The crude death rate per 1,000 of population has shown a gradual downward trend since the beginning of the century with the most striking long-term falls occurring in the death rates at the younger ages.
• Diseases of the circulatory system, neoplasms and diseases of the respiratory system were responsible for 77% of the 28, 274 deaths in 2008.
• Diseases of the circulatory system accounted for 35.2% of deaths, neoplasms 29.7%, diseases of the respiratory system, in third place accounted for 12.5%.
• Ranked in order, the other seven leading causes of death were external causes of injury and poisoning, diseases of the digestive system, diseases of the nervous system, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases, diseases of the genitourinary system, mental and behavioural disorders, and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue.
• The leading causes of death varied widely by age group in 2008. Among young adults aged 15 to 44, external causes of injury and poisoning ranked first. Among individuals aged 45 to 74, neoplasms was the leading cause, while for those aged 75 and older, it was diseases of the respiratory system.

Infant Mortality

• During 2008 the number of deaths of infants under one year was 284 compared with 230 in 2007. The corresponding rate increased from 3.2 to 3.8 per 1,000 live births.

Stillbirths:

• The number of stillbirths occurring during 2008 was 294 compared with 317 in 2007. The corresponding rate decreased from 4.4 to 4.0 per 1,000 live and stillborn children.

Report on Vital Statistics 2008 is priced at €12 and is available on our website www.cso.ie (PDF 1,042KB)

Hard copies available from the:

Central Statistics Office, Information Section, Skehard Road, Cork,

Government Publications Sales Office, Sun Alliance House, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2,

or through any bookseller.

For more information contact Sandra Tobin (LoCall 1890 313 414 ext 5307).

Web: www.cso.ie

Central Statistics Office                                                                      25 February 2011

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