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Births 2021

Births

Number of births in Ireland up 6.6% to 60,575 when compared to 2020

Online ISSN: 2009-5538
CSO statistical publication, , 11am

Live Births 2021

There were 60,575 live births in 2021, comprising of 30,982 males and 29,593 females. The corresponding total for 2020 was 56,812. The birth rate in 2021 was 11.9 per 1,000 population, 0.5 higher than the corresponding birth rate in 2020, which was 11.4 per 1,000 of the population. See table 1.1 and table 1.2.

Table 1.1 Number of births in Ireland and birth rates per 1,000 population, 1991 to 2021
Table 1.2 Birth rate by area of residence of mother during 2021

Average age of mothers

Looking back 30 and 50 years ago, in 1991 and 1971 respectively, the average age was 29.6 years and 29.4 years. In 2021, the average age of mothers giving birth was 33.3 years, which is the highest average age of mothers at maternity, since this information was first recorded in 1955. See figure 1.1, table 1.3 and map 1.

For European comparison on maternal average age see: Eurostat.

Figure 1.1 Average Age of mothers at maternity 1971 - 2021
Table 1.3 Average age at maternity by area of residence in 2021, showing births inside and outside marriage
Map 1 Average age at maternity by area of residence in 2021

Age at maternity

The percentage of births to teenage mothers was 1.2% (710) of all births in 2021, compared to 2020, when it was 1.5% (857). This was the lowest percentage of births to mothers under 20 years since 1958 when it accounted for 1.4% of all births. From 1959 onwards the percentage of births to mothers in this age group continued to increase, until it reached a peak in 1999 when 6.2% (3,314) of all births were to mothers under 20. The percentage of mothers in this age-group had continued to decrease each year since 1999, prior to a slight increase in 2020.

At the other end of the scale, the number of births to mothers aged 40 years and over are increasing. In 2021, there were 8.4% (or 5,101) of births to mothers aged 40 and over, an increase of 0.1% on 2020. In 1981, mothers under 30 years of age accounted for 59% of births. However, the proportion of births to this age group declined fairly steadily to reach 24.5% in 2021. See table 1.4 and figure 1.2.

For European comparison of maternal age please see: Eurostat.

Figure 1.2 Births distributed by age of mothers (number)

Birth Order

A total of 23,472 births (39%) were to first time mothers in 2021. Second time mothers had 21,076 births (35%) and third time mothers had 10,856 births (18%). Mothers that already had three or more live-born children accounted for the remaining 8.5% of births. See figure 1.3 and table 1.4.

Figure 1.3 Birth Order 2021 (Previous Liveborn Children)
Table 1.4 Total births in 2021, classified by age of mother at maternity and number of previous liveborn children

Births within and outside marriage/civil partnership

In 2021, 35,261 (or 58%) births occurred within marriage/civil partnership and 25,314 (42%) births occurred outside marriage/civil partnership. The percentage of births outside marriage/civil partnership was 2.8 percent higher than in 2020. There were no births within civil partnerships in 2021. The highest percentage of births outside marriage/civil partnership occurred outside the state, accounting for 60% (22) followed by Limerick City, accounting for 55% (415) of all births, while the area with the lowest percentage was in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown at 28.3%. See tables 1.5 and 1.6.

The lowest ever number of births outside marriage/civil partnership was recorded in 1959 (1.6%). Since then there has been a steady increase in the percentage of births outside marriage/civil partnership, notably since 1980.

Table 1.5 Births in 2021, classified by sex and age of mother at maternity, and showing the number of births within and outside marriage/civil partnership separately
Table 1.6 Births by area of residence of mother during 2021, showing first births and also births within and outside marriage/civil partnership separately

Gestation and Birthweight

In 2021, babies with a gestational age of 36-39 weeks represented the majority (58%) of births of known gestation. Babies with a gestational age of under 28 weeks represented the lowest percentage of births of known gestation at 0.4%. See tables 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9.

In 2021, babies with a birthweight of between 3,500 and 3,999 grams accounted for the highest percentage of births of known birthweight at 35%. Half of the babies (50%) in this group and of known gestation, had a gestational age of 36-39 weeks. See tables 1.7, 1.8 and 1.9.

Table 1.7 Births in 2021 classified by period of gestation and age-group of mother at maternity
Table 1.8 Births in 2021, classified by age-group of mother at maternity and birthweight
Table 1.9 Births in 2021, classified by period of gestation and birthweight

Hospital and Domiciliary births

There were 60,213 (99%) hospital births in 2021. The highest number of hospital births in 2021 was recorded in Dublin City with 11% (6,804) of all births. This was followed by Cork County (5,400) and Fingal (4,260) accounting for 9.0% and 7.0% of all hospital births respectively. See tables 1.10 and 1.11.

There were 362 domiciliary births in 2021, 48 more than the 314 recorded in 2020. Such births have dropped from one in three births in the early 1950’s to just 6.0 per thousand live births in 2021. Domiciliary births include home births and other births that take place in a location other than a hospital. See tables 1.10 and 1.11.

The highest number of births in maternity hospitals in 2021 was recorded in the Rotunda Hospital with 15% (9,089) of all births. This was followed by The National Maternity Hospital, Holles St (7,791) and The Coombe Women's & Infants Hospital (7,683), each having 13% of all maternity hospital births respectively. Outside of Dublin, Cork University Maternity Hospital had the highest number of births with 7,441 births or 12% of all maternity hospital births in 2021. See table 1.11.

Table 1.10 Numbers of hospital and domiciliary births in 2021 showing place of occurrence and area of normal residence of mother
Table 1.11 Total births in 2021 by hospital place of occurrence

Nationality of parent

In 2021, 78% of mothers were of Irish nationality, 2.0% of UK nationality and 2.1% of EU-14 (excluding Ireland) nationality. There were 8.4% of mothers from EU-27 (excluding EU-14) while there were 9.8% of mothers of other nationality. The nationality of the mother was not stated for 0.003% of births. See tables 1.12 and 1.13.

Table 1.12 Total births in 2021, classified by nationality of parents
Table 1.13 Total births in 2021, classified by nationality of mother, marital status and average age

Multiple births

The number of maternities in 2021 which resulted in live births was 59,560 including 1,038 sets of twins, 16 sets of triplets. There were no sets of quadruplets. This is equivalent to a “twinning rate” of 17.4 (i.e. the number of sets of live twins per 1,000 maternities which resulted in live births). Over the past 29 years, the twinning rate has increased significantly – from 11.7 in 1991, to an all-time high of 19.0 in 2016. See table 1.14.

Table 1.14 Number of multiple births and the number of twins per 1,000 maternities, 2021

Births by NUTS III Regional authority areas

In 2021, the highest number of births 17,538 (or 29%) took place in the Dublin regional authority area. In contrast, the smallest number of births (3,832) was in the Midland region (Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath) with 6.3% of all births. See tables 1.15, 1.16, map 2 and background notes.

Map 2 Number of births classified by area of residence of mother, 2021

Outside the state figures not included in the state total

Table 1.15 Births by area of residence and age-group at maternity in 2021
Table 1.16 Births by region of residence and age-group at maternity in 2021

Total Period Fertility Rate

The total period fertility rate (TPFR) is derived from the age-specific fertility rates. It gives the theoretical average number of children who would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime if she were to pass through her childbearing years conforming to the age-specific fertility rates of a given year. A value of 2.1 is generally taken to be the level at which a generation would replace itself in the long run, ignoring migration.

The TPFR has fallen by 20% in the past 30 years, from 2.07 in 1991 to 1.73 in 2021. In Ireland, it dropped below the replacement level in 1989 and again in 1991 and has remained there since. If Ireland's TPFR had been 2.1 for 2021 then the natural increase in population would have been 31,234 (the actual natural increase was 25,731). See table 1.17.

For European comparison see: Eurostat.

Table 1.17 Total period of fertility rate (TPFR) and age specific fertility rates (ASFR), 2021

Occupation of Mother

In 2021, just under one in five mothers (17%) stated their occupation as homemaker. The number varied widely according to the age group of the mother, with 65% of mothers under 20 years and 43% of mothers in the 20-24 year age group, respectively recording their occupation as homemaker. In contrast, only 12% of mothers in the 30-39 year age group stated their occupation to be that of homemaker while 12% of mothers over 40 years were in this category. See table 1.18.

Table 1.18 Births in 2021 by occupation and age-group of mother at maternity