The statistics, released today by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, show that Ireland is well ahead of the average birth rate in the EU, which stands at 10.1 per 1000 residents.
Furthermore, Ireland has one of the lowest death rates per thousand in the EU at just 6.4%. According to the newly-released figures, Ireland is second only to Cyprus, with a death rate per thousand of 6.2%.
The result means that Ireland also had the highest increase in population last year.
The statistics also put the country’s current population at 4.6 million, which is just under 1% of the overall EU population.
These statistics come just months after a report was released claiming that new mums in Ireland are among the oldest in Europe.
The study, also conducted by Eurostat, found that the average age for a woman in Ireland to have her first child is 29. Furthermore, it was found that Ireland has one of the highest proportions of first-time births to women in their forties.
