15 Irish areas see 'natural population' decline, with Belmullet experiencing largest decline

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland has released figures showing a fivefold increase in the number of local electoral areas (LEAs) with more deaths than births in 2022. The majority of these areas are rural towns in the west and south of the country. The largest natural population decline occurred in Belmullet, Co Mayo, with a rate of -2.9. The highest rates of natural increase in population were in Dublin, with Blanchardstown-Mulhuddart and Ongar having a rate of 9.7.