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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories There was also a 25% increase in births to mothers aged 40 and over between 2013 and 2023.Alamy Stock Photo Record number of babies born to women aged 45 and over The CSO found that the average age at which mothers give birth in Ireland continues to increase. 2.13pm, 3 Nov 2025 Share options A RECORD NUMBER of babies were born to women aged 45 and over in 2023. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) today published its Vital Statistics Annual Report for 2023. It provides information on the births, deaths, and stillbirths that occur each year in Ireland. It found that in 2023, there was a record number of 408 babies born to women aged 45 and over – an increase of around 81%, or 182 births, on the figure a decade previous in 2013. There was also a 25% increase in births to mothers aged 40 and over between 2013 (4,004) and 2023 (4,993). Meanwhile, the CSO found that the average age at which mothers give birth in Ireland continues to increase. In 1973, 29 was the average age of a mother giving birth, while in 1993 it stood at 29.8 years. In 2013, this stood at 32.2 years and rose again in 2023 to 33.2 years. Elsewhere, there were 43 fewer births in 2023 compared with 2022, down 0.1%. But over the last decade, the number of births has fallen by 14,428 when compared with 2013 figures, down 21%. The CSO compared the birth rate in 2023 to that of 1973, 50 years ago. Advertisement In 2023, the birth rate stood at 10.3 births per 1,000 of population, while 50 years ago in 1973, it stood at 22.4 per 1,000 population. The CSO data also found that fertility rate is below the level at which the population would replace itself in the long run, excluding migration. In 2023, the fertility rare for Ireland was 1.5, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 Meanwhile, there were 35,649 deaths in Ireland in 2023, of which 18,629 were males and 17,020 were females, an overall increase of 20.8% in all deaths in Ireland since 2013. In 2023, the annual death rate was 6.7 per 1,000 of population, down from 2022 when the figure stood at 6.9. There is a long-term reduction in the death rate in Ireland, which stood at 6.4 deaths per 1,000 of population in 2013, 9.0 deaths per 1,000 of population in 1993, and 11.2 deaths per 1,000 of population in 1973. In 2023, the most frequent age of death for males was 83 years (3.5%), while for females it was 88 years (3.9%). Neoplasms, which can be benign or malignant cancerous growths, accounted for the largest number of deaths in 2023 at 10,480. This was followed by deaths due to diseases of the circulatory system at 9,784 and 4,124 deaths from diseases of the respiratory system. Deaths due to accidents, suicide, and other external causes accounted for a further 1,809 or 5.1% of all deaths in 2023. The CSO also found that between 2013 and 2023, there was a 79.3% increase in the number of dementia-related deaths. In 2023, dementia collectively accounted for 5.9% of all deaths. There were also a total of 682 deaths due to COVID-19 in 2023, down 58.2% from 2022, when the number of deaths stood at 1,633. In terms of where people died in 2023, there were 14,880 deaths (41.7%) that occurred in general and orthopaedic hospitals, 8,725 (24.5%) of deaths occurred at home, and 6,089 (17.1%) deaths occurred in nursing homes. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Support The Journal Diarmuid Pepper View 23 comments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Record number of babies born to women aged 45 and over”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Record number of babies born to women aged 45 and over”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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