Death and birth rates fell in second quarter of 2014

The death rate fell by almost 6 per cent in the second quarter of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013 while births fell by nearly 4 per cent, figures from the CSO show.

There were 16,502 births in the second quarter (April, May, June) 2014, 605 fewer compared with the same period in 2013. This corresponds to a birth rate of 14.3 per 1,000 population.

The CSO vital statistics data also shows there were 7,197 deaths in quarter two this year, a fall of 447 (or 3.5 per cent) from the same period last year. This equates to a death rate of 6.2 per 1,000 population, a fall of 0.5 from the same period in 2013.

There were 55 infant deaths registered, giving an infant mortality rate of 3.3 per 1,000 live births.

The number of births less the number of deaths in quarter two gives a natural population increase of 9,305 people.

There was a higher number of baby boys than baby girls born (8,462 compared to 8,040) while the average age of mothers has increased slightly on the same period last year. The average age of first time mothers was 30.5, up 0.3 years while the average age of mothers at maternity for births registered was 32.3 years, 0.1 higher.

In quarter two 2014 there were 10,553 (63.9 per cent) births registered as within marriage and of these three were within civil partnerships. There were 5,949 births registered as outside marriage/civil partnership accounting for 36.1 per cent of all births in quarter two 2014.

The highest percentage of births outside marriage/civil partnership was in Limerick city at 58.2 per cent and the lowest was in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown with 23.2 per cent. In the same quarter in 2013, there were 5,824 births registered as outside marriage/civil partnership accounting for 34 per cent of all births.

The leading cause of death in quarter two this year varied widely by age group. Among young adults aged 15 to 44, external causes of death including accidents, suicide and other ranked first (142 deaths). Among individuals aged 45 to 84, cancers were the leading cause, while for those aged 85 and older, it was diseases of the heart and arteries.