Annual report on vital Statistics 2013
This report has been prepared by the Central Statistics Office for the Minister of Social Protection in accordance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952, with the provisions of Section 73 of the Civil Registration Act 2004 and the Government Order (SI No. 831 of 2007).
The main statistics contained in this report have already been published, classified by year of registration, in the CSO's Quarterly and Yearly Summary Vital Statistics reports. This annual report provides additional information on the births and deaths that occurred in 2013. The year of occurrence data have been compiled from registration data for 2013 and 2014.
This report also includes information on registered stillbirths. This replaced the series on late foetal deaths compiled up to 1994. Registration of stillbirths became available following the introduction of the Stillbirths Registration Act 1994. This act was subsequently superseded by the Civil Registration Act 2004 (part 3 refers).
Live Births: There were 68,954 children born in Ireland during 2013, down 2,720 or 3.8% form 2012. This is the lowest number of births since 2006 when there were 65,425 births.
The birth rate was 15.0 per 1,000 of the population in 2013 compared to 15.6 in 2012 and 15.5 in 2003.
The total period fertility rate (TPFR), or the average number of children per woman was 1.96 in 2013, that is 0.03 per thousand lower than in 2012, and below replacement level. 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.
Ireland had the second highest fertility rate of the 28 EU member states in 2013 at 1.96 children per woman. See Births 2013 Fig 2.4.
In 2013, the highest number of births - 25,385 (36.8%) were to mothers in the 30-34 years age-group, representing over a third of all births.
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 25-29. (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.
Mothers of non-Irish nationality accounted for 22.6% of births in 2013. In 2012 this figure was higher at 23.2%.
In 2013, Friday 20th September saw the highest number of babies born in one single day (278). The fewest number of babies born in one day in the year was on Thursday 26th December (97).
Deaths: There were 29,504 deaths in Ireland in 2013, of which 14,958 were male and 14,546 female. This is equivalent to a rate of 6.42 deaths per 1,000 total population, slightly higher than the 6.36 recorded in 2012. The crude death rate per 1,000 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 74.4% of deaths.
Ranked in order, the other eight leading causes of death were external causes of injury and poisoning at 5.1% of deaths; diseases of the nervous system; mental and behavioural disorders; diseases of the digestive system; endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases; diseases of the genitourinary system; infectious and parasitic diseases; with diseases of musculoskeletal system and connective tissue at 0.7% of deaths.
The leading causes of death varied widely by age group in 2013. 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 circulatory system. See Deaths
Infant Mortality: During 2013 the number of deaths of infants under one year of age was 245, compared with 237 in 2012. The corresponding rate increased from 3.3 per 1,000 live births to 3.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013.
Stillbirths: The number of stillbirths occurring during 2013 was 190 compared with 188 in 2012. The respective corresponding rates for 2013 and 2012 were 2.7 and 2.6 per 1,000 live and stillborn children. See Infant Mortality, Stillbirths and Maternal Mortality 2013.
Data in this report refers to Stillbirths registered under the Stillbirths registration Act, 1994 and amended by sections 28 and 29 of the Civil Registration Act 2004.
Population: The estimated usual residence population in April 2013 was 4,593,100: 2,273,800 males and 2,319,300 females.
Usual residence population concept: For the purpose of this Report the population concept of usual residence has been used, i.e. all persons usually resident and present in the state on census night plus absent persons who are usually resident in Ireland but temporarily away from home and outside the State on census night. All persons are classified according to their region of usual residence.
Issue of Authority for Registration: Births and deaths (where no inquest has been held) which have not been registered within one year of their occurrence can be registered only on the authority of the Superintendent Registrars. The tables in the main body of this report exclude such births and deaths. The Appendix to the report contains an analysis of late death registrations in 2013 and of some deaths where an inquest has been held. The number of such deaths registered in 2013 was 557.
More up to date information on Vital Statistics is published in the Quarterly Report on Births, Deaths and Marriages published about six months after the end of the quarter to which the date relate. In the Quarterly Report, births and deaths are classified according to quarter of registration.
Births are classified according to the area of residence fo the mother and deaths according to the area of residence of the deceased. Births and deaths for each year since 1943 exclude late registrations; while deaths for each of the years 1940 to 1967 exclude non-residents. From 1968 however, the number of deaths includes non-residents.
For more detailed information and breakdowns in relation to births and deaths please go to: Births 2013 and Deaths 2013.
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