Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Teen pregnancy rate at lowest on record
Study also finds mums now older
NORTHERN Ireland’s teenage pregnancy rate has plummeted to its lowest rate, it was revealed yesterday.
Statistics showed 692 of the 23,075 births last year were to mothers under 20 – less than half the 1,405 total a decade ago.
First-time mums are around 28.7 years old while the average age of all mothers “has similarly risen from 27.6 to 30.8 over three decades”.
Women are having around 1.87 children after a fall from 2.39 in 1987, while of the 23,075 births last year 11,898 were boys and 11,177 were girls.
Almost a quarter were born to mums aged 35 and over.
The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency found 43% of births “occurred outside of marriage, compared to 14% three decades ago”.
Tragically, there were 102 stillbirths last year, equivalent to a rate of 4.4 per 1,000 births.
Men and women are waiting six years longer to tie the knot with brides aged 30 and grooms 32.
A total of 8,300 marriages and 92 civil partnerships were held last year “equivalent to roughly one every hour”. But it’s not always “till death us do part” as there were 2,089 divorces and 13 civil partnership dissolutions last year.
Men and women are living longer and Nisra said this is reflected to a degree in the age profile of those who passed away.
It added: “For example, 35% of the 16,036 people who died in 2017 were aged under 75 compared with 50% thirty years ago in 1987.
“Cancer continued to be the leading cause of death, accounting for 28% of all deaths; 2,356 men and 2,104 women.”
The population rose by 8,700 people to reach 1.871 million in the year ending June 30, 2017. Nisra said: “This increase can mainly be attributed to the difference between births and deaths.
“Projections indicate the population will reach two million people by mid-2040, with the number aged 65 and over projected to overtake children by mid-2028.”