Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland
Ireland: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 1.6 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.6 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
152nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.08 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.59 live births per woman
in 2022
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland stood at 1.6 live births per woman.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 17.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland peaked at 4.08 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.59 live births per woman, in 2022.
That places Ireland 152nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.5 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.55 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1952 | 3.56 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 3.54 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1954 | 3.47 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1955 | 3.37 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1956 | 3.38 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 3.48 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 3.46 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1959 | 3.6 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 1960 | 3.75 live births per woman | +4.2% |
| 1961 | 3.78 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 3.93 live births per woman | +3.9% |
| 1963 | 4.03 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 4.08 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1965 | 4.04 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 3.94 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1967 | 3.84 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1968 | 3.77 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1969 | 3.82 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1970 | 3.85 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 3.93 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 3.85 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 3.71 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1974 | 3.59 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1975 | 3.37 live births per woman | -6.0% |
| 1976 | 3.29 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 3.24 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1978 | 3.21 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1979 | 3.21 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 3.21 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 3.06 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 1982 | 2.95 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1983 | 2.75 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1984 | 2.59 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1985 | 2.49 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.44 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.31 live births per woman | -5.2% |
| 1988 | 2.17 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1989 | 2.08 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1990 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 2.08 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 1.99 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 1.9 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1994 | 1.85 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1995 | 1.84 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 1.88 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 1.93 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 1.94 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 1.9 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 1.89 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 1.94 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 1.97 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 1.93 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 1.86 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 1.92 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 2.01 live births per woman | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 2.06 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.06 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 2.06 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.99 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2014 | 1.9 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 1.86 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.82 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 1.77 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 1.72 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 1.65 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 1.78 live births per woman | +7.5% |
| 2022 | 1.59 live births per woman | -10.3% |
| 2023 | 1.6 live births per woman | +0.3% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 1.6 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 1.6 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.49 live births per woman | 3.37 live births per woman | 3.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.9 live births per woman | 3.75 live births per woman | 4.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.53 live births per woman | 3.21 live births per woman | 3.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.6 live births per woman | 2.08 live births per woman | 3.21 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.94 live births per woman | 1.84 live births per woman | 2.11 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.86 live births per woman | 2.06 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.72 live births per woman | 2.06 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.66 live births per woman | 1.59 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More education data for Ireland
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 32,531 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1,942 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 52,745 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 49,975 (2022)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 456,625 (2022)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 548,873 (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.49 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1053 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Ireland was 1.6 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 4.08 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2022.
- How does Ireland rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Ireland ranks 152nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.