Number of children baptised Catholic drops 30% in decade

The number of Catholic baptisms for children in the island of Ireland has decreased by 30% over the past decade, according to figures compiled by the Iona Institute. Between 2015 and 2025, baptisms in the Dublin archdiocese dropped by 40%, while the overall island-wide decline was 26%. This trend coincides with a 18% decrease in births registered in the Republic of Ireland, dropping from 65,909 in 2015 to 54,125 in 2025.

Similar birth rate declines were observed in Northern Ireland, where they fell by 21% during the same period. In Dublin, birth rates decreased by 22% compared to 18% for the Republic as a whole. Census 2022 data revealed that 65% of children aged 0-4 were registered as Roman Catholic, while 16% had no religion. However, mothers of children in this age group who identified as Catholic continued to baptise their children.

This suggests that cultural Catholicism remains a significant aspect of Irish life, according to the Iona Institute. Regional variations exist in the baptism figures, with Dublin experiencing a 40% drop over ten years, while Kerry recorded a 22.3% decline. Down & Connor and Meath dioceses also saw significant decreases in baptisms (38% and 41%, respectively).

Chairman of The Iona Institute, Dr Tom Finegan, stated that the figures were unsurprising, given the declining number of births and increasing secularisation. He noted that births have fallen by nearly 20% in the last decade, and more people are identifying as "No Religion" in the Census, which would likely lead to further drops in baptism figures.

However, the data also shows that cultural Catholicism remains strong, with 67.9% of mothers with children aged 0-4 still identifying as Catholic in Census 2022, even if many are not regular Mass-goers.