A new report shows that there has been a significant fall in the number of children living in Ireland in the past five years. The report also showed a fall in binge-drinking and early sexual activity in teens.
The update from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth showed that there was almost a 10% fall in children aged 5 and under living in the state when comparing 2016 and 2021.
“In 2016, there were 403,919 children aged 5 and under living in Ireland (8.5% of the population). It is estimated that this figure dropped to 365,617 children in 2021,” the report says.
Ireland has seen a persistent fall in birth and fertility rates in recent years, with the average Irish woman having less than two children.
Surveys have shown that large swathes of those considered to be in the child-bearing age cohort say that they have serious concerns about their financial situation, while data from the CSO also shows that the vast majority of those emigrating are of the age where they typically have families.
The latest pulse survey from the CSO – “Our Lives: Our Money” – showed that 63% of people believe they’re in a worse financial situation this year than last, with a similar proportion believing their situation will worsen in 2023.
43% of those surveyed said they were looking at emigrating due to the rising cost of living.
Recent CSO data also shows the Irish population continues to age, with the share of those aged 65 increasing from 13.3% to 15.% between 2016 and 2022.
Today’s report, launched by Minister Roderic O’Gorman showed that the percentage of 11-17 year olds engaging in optimum physical activity decreased from 24% in 2010 to 22% in 2018.
However, the percentage of teens (11-17) who reported binge-drinking also decreased from 58% in 2015 to 31% in 2021, while the rate of 11-17 year old children who reported ever drinking alcohol was 30% in 2018, down from 48% in 2010.
Early sexual activity also declined in adolescents – with date showing that while 26.8% of those aged between 15 and 17 reported having had sex in 2014, that had fallen to 20.2% in 2018. Births to teenagers also fell from 211 to 168 in that period.
The report was published as part of ‘First 5’, a constituent strategy of Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures (BOBF), which sets out an ambitious agenda across Government to improve outcomes for children and young people aged 0–24, the Department of Children said.