A new study has found that baptisms in Ireland have fallen by 30 per cent in 10 years. The research, conducted by the Iona Institute, found the two leading factors in the decline to be a decline in birth rates and a rise in secularism among the Irish population.
The ten-year period saw birth rates across the island of Ireland fall by 19.8 per cent. The Republic of Ireland saw a 17.9 per cent decrease and Northern Ireland saw a decrease of 21.3 per cent. Furthermore, in 2016, almost 80 per cent of zero to four-year-olds were listed in census data as Catholic, with just over 9 per cent being recorded as having no religion. By 2022, the figures had changed to about 65 per cent and 15 per cent respectively.
