ESRI report says Ireland has highest birth rate in EU

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Ireland still has the highest birth rate in the European Union according to a new report.

The research by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) showed there were over 17,000 more births in 2010 compared to 2001.

A third of births in 2010 were to single mothers and almost a quarter were to mothers born outside Ireland.

By 2010, the average age of women giving birth was just over 31.

The ESRI <link> <caption>report</caption> <url href="http://www.esri.ie/news_events/latest_press_releases/perinatal_statistics_repo_4/index.xml" platform="highweb"/> </link> found there was a 22 per cent increase in women aged 35 and older having babies.

The number of babies delivered by caesarean section rose five per cent in the decade; while the number of breastfed babies increased by seven per cent.

The perinatal statistics also show there was a two per cent fall in the mortality rate of live and still births, compared to 2001.