Women in Kilkenny choosing to have children later in life

The average age of a Kilkenny woman having a child is the highest it has been since records began. Significantly more Kilkenny women in their 40s are having children than women under the age of 20.

The figures were revealed in the Central Statistic’s Office Vital Statistics 2017 report, released this week

The report found that 75% of all children born in Kilkenny are born to mothers aged 30 or older. The average age for a woman giving birth in Kilkenny is now 33 years.

The report reveals 1,164 children were born in Kilkenny in 2017. Still, more boys are being born than girls in Kilkenny, 628 boys born in 2017 as opposed to 526 girls.

There are more women over the age of 40 in Kilkenny having children than there are women under the age of 20 by a ratio of 4:1. Just 20 women under the age of 20 gave birth in 2017, while 84 women over the age of 40 had a child, seven of these women were over the age of 45.

Exactly the same amount of women between the age of 20-24 had children as women aged 40 and over. Both age groups gave birth to 84 children.

The report also found people in Kilkenny are having fewer children. The number of children born per 1,000 people in Kilkenny was down to 12.9, while 10 years ago, it was 16.2 children per 1,000.

The average age of a Kilkenny woman giving birth has increased significantly. In 2017, the average age giving birth was 33 years old, a generation ago in 1977, the average age for giving birth was 28.8 years.

Although the birth rate is decreasing, the amount of births far exceeds the number of deaths in Kilkenny. In 2017, 623 people in Kilkenny passed away, as opposed to 1,164 newborns.