The birth rate fell slightly between July to September 2014.

According to the latest figures from the CSO, there were 17,197 births in that period - down 532 compared with the same period in 2013.

It equates to a birth rate of 14.9 per 1,000 population - a decrease of 0.5.

37.5% of births were to first time mothers in the third quarter of 2014, while 6,095 births (35.6%) were to second time mothers.

The average age of first time mothers was 30.5 years - an increase of 0.3 years compared to the same period in 2013.

There were 7,001 deaths in the third quarter of 2014 - up 0.3% on that time in the previous year.

The death rate remained unchanged at 6.1 per 1,000 population.