Birth rates in Ireland are continuing to fall steadily, according to new figures.
The Central Statistic Office has revealed that there were 1,844 fewer births recorded last year than there were in 2016.
There were 62,053 registered births in Ireland in 2017, with the average mother in Ireland being slightly older than the previous year at 31-years-old.
The average age of first-time mothers is up 0.1 years since the year before.
As well as this, 1,041 teenagers gave birth in 2017, with 19 of these being 16-years-old or younger – a decline in teenager pregnancies since the previous year.
The HSE has welcomed this decline in teenager live births, saying that there has been a “significant shift” in attitudes towards teenage relationships in recent years.
For comparison, 3,087 teenagers gave birth in 2001.
Ireland currently has an infant mortality rate of 2.8 per 1,000 live births, meaning infants that have been born and are under the age of one-year-old.
There were 174 infant deaths in 2017.
