Life expectancy increases and death rates decline since 1922, figures show
Death rates have declined, and life expectancy has increased significantly in Ireland since independence, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Death rates have shown a significant decline since 1922, with 1,474 deaths per 100,000 population, to just 675 per 100,000 in 2023. Deaths in the 0-5 age range have dropped significantly over the same period, from 14.7% of all deaths in 1922 to 0.6% in 2023.
The proportion of infant deaths fell by 9.1% of all deaths in 1922 to 0.5% of all deaths in 2023. As well as this, life expectancy at birth has greatly increased from approximately 57 years for men and 58 for women in 1925 to around 80 years for men and 83 for women in 2015.
When it came to some of the most common causes of death, Tuberculosis caused 4,614 deaths in 1922, compared to just 14 deaths in 2023. Cancer caused 10,221 deaths in 2023, compared to 2,523 in 1922. Heart disease sat at 153 deaths per 100,000 in 1922, peaking at 412 per 100,000 in 1966, falling to 125 deaths per 100,00 in 2023.
Seán O’Connor, Statistician in the Life Events and Demography Division, said: “This is the first time the CSO has examined more than 100 years of data on deaths in Ireland, revealing the changing nature of life expectancy and causes of death. This initial analysis is part of a larger piece of work being conducted in conjunction with the CSO's Historical Statistics Recovery (HSR) initiative, which aims to digitise, preserve, and make historical Irish death data available to all.
“While we focused on common causes of death, differences may potentially exist in how causes of death were classified due to changing International Classification of Death (ICD) classification methodology used throughout the period 1922-2023, as well as differences due to changes in recording practices over the period. It is also worth noting that death and cause of death patterns may be affected by other changing factors over time, including wars, epidemics, migration, medical changes and diagnosis, and changes in socio-economic factors. Therefore, particular care should be taken when interpreting the changes from 1922 to 2023.
“From the data examined, which spanned more than 100 years, from the foundation of the State in 1922 to 2023, we can see people are living longer, the proportion of infant deaths has fallen dramatically from 9.1% of all deaths in 1922 to 0.5% of all deaths in 2023, and there have been significant changes in the most common causes of death. For example, tuberculosis (TB) related deaths have decreased substantially over that time from a point where it was more prevalent than heart disease to being one of the least common causes of death. The number of deaths dropped from 4,614 in 1922 to 14 in 2023. However, deaths due to cancer have grown greatly over the same period, from 2,523 deaths in 1922 to 10,221 deaths in 2023.”