Kells area recorded highest death rate, lowest birth rate in 2021 - CSO
The Kells area had the highest death rate and also the lowest birth rate in Meath in 2021 according to figures recently released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Of the six electoral areas in Meath, Kells had by far the highest death rate at 7.2 per 1,000 of the population compared to Trim at 4.8 , Navan at 4.6, Laytown/Bettystown 4.5, Ratoath at 4.3 , while Ashbourne was the lowest at 4.2.
In 2021, 1,091 deaths were recorded in the county. Of these, 257 were in Kells, 187 in Navan, 175 in Laytown/Bettystown, 166 in Ratoath, 163 in Trim, and 143 in Ashbourne.
Looking at the average age of those who died in 2021, Kells recorded the highest average age at 77.9 years, while the average age of those who died in Navan was the youngest at 74 years.
Kells also had the lowest birth rate at 11.5 per cent per 1,000 of the population while Ratoath had the highest at 14.2 per cent.
Of the 2,850 babies born in Meath in 2021, 546 were to parents in the Ratoath electoral area, 520 in Navan, 475 in Laytown/Bettystown, 472 in Ashbourne, 429 in Trim and 408 in Kells.
There were just 151 more births than deaths in Kells compared to a natural increase (births less deaths) of 380 in Ratoath LEA, 333 in Navan LEA, 329 in Ashbourne LEA, 300 in Laytown/Bettystown LEA and 266 in Trim LEA. This equates to a natural increase rate per 1,000 of the population of 9.9 in Ratoath, 9.7 in Ashbourne, 8.1 in Navan, 7.8 in Trim, 7.7 in Laytown/Bettystown and just 4.3 in Kells.
Ratoath also had the highest fertility rate at 57.6 per cent. While birth rates is per 1,000 of the population, the fertility rate is the rate of births per 1,000 women aged from 15 to 49. The LEA with the second highest fertility rate was Ashbourne at 57.1, followed by Trim at 52.2, Kells at 50.6, Navan at 49.9 and Laytown/Bettystown at 48.8.
Nationally, Carrick-On-Shannon had the highest fertility rate in the country in 2021 with a 61.2 fertility rate per 1,000 women aged between 15 and 49. Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, was second with a rate of 60.8 and Ballybay-Clones, Co Monaghan, was third with 60.6. The lowest rate was recorded in the South-East Inner City in Dublin which had a rate of 29.8.