Average age of mothers in Donegal increases, registered births falls in 2024

The average age of Donegal mothers giving birth is increasing, whilst the number of births registered decreased in 2024 revealed the latest Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures.

Data showed that the average age of mothers giving birth in Donegal in 2024 was 32.8 years, up slightly from the previous two years, although it is still lower than the national average of 33.3 years. 

Meanwhile, the rate of births registered in Donegal in 2024 was 1,667, the exact figure as it was in 2022, although down by 6% from 2023. 

Of the births registered in Donegal, 56.4% were made within marriage compared to 43.6% of births that were registered outside of marriage. 

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The local authority area in Ireland with the highest average age of mothers was Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council area, where the average age of mothers giving birth was 35 years. At the opposite end of the scale was Longford, as the average age of mothers giving birth was 32 years.