Ireland’s birth rate falls slowly and perinatal death rate drops

Ireland’s birth rate continues to decline gently while the average age of mothers having children increases, a new report shows.

Over 30 per cent of mothers giving birth were single and 27 per cent were born outside Ireland, according to the HSE’s National Perinatal Statistic Report for 2013.

The past decade has seen a big rise in the number of twin births, up by 24 per cent, and the number of first-time mothers has risen by 38 per cent.

While the total number of births increased by 11 per cent in the decade up to 2013, the birth rate dropped from 16.8 per 1,000 of population in 2008 to 15 per 1,000 in 2013.

The perinatal mortality rate has fallen from 8.1 per 1,000 live births in 2004 to 6.3 per 1,000 in 2013, a decrease of over 22 per cent. Almost two-thirds of perinatal deaths were stillbirths.

Prof Michael Turner, HSE clinical lead for obstetrics, said it was reassuring that there have been improvements in the rate of stillbirths and neonatal deaths.

The upward trend in Caesarean births has continued, 29.7 per cent in 2013, compared with 25.2 per cent in 2004.

Some 66,650 single births, 2,526 twin births, 87 triplet births and four quadruplet births took place in 2013.