Demography of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four components of the United Kingdom in terms of both area and population, containing 2.9% of the total population and 5.7% of the total area of the United Kingdom. It is the smaller of the two political entities on the island of Ireland by area and population, the other being the Republic of Ireland, a sovereign state which gained partial independence from the United Kingdom in 1921, as “ the Irish Free State”. Northern Ireland contains 28.3% of the total population and 16.75% of the total area of the island of Ireland.

Map of population density in Northern Ireland according to the 2011 census

Northern Ireland, as recorded by the 2011 United Kingdom census, has a population of 1,810,863, an increase of 125,800 (7.5%) over the ten-year period since the last census.[1] The population density is 133 people per km2, about half that of the United Kingdom as a whole but about twice that of the Republic.[2] The Belfast Metropolitan Area dominates in population terms, with over a third of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland.

Like Great Britain (but unlike most of the Republic of Ireland), Northern Ireland has a plurality of Protestants (48% of the resident population are either Protestant, or brought up Protestant, while 45% of the resident population are either Catholic, or brought up Catholic, according to the 2011 census)[3] and its people speak both Irish and dialects of English heavily influenced by the Scots language. This is both because of historic links with Scotland going back centuries, and because of settlements of lowland Scots Protestants in Ulster in the 17th century, such as the Plantation of Ulster. Also unlike the Republic, a large proportion of people in Northern Ireland have a British national identity. Many people in Northern Ireland have a Northern Irish identity, whether in addition to a British or Irish identity or by itself.

Population census
YearPop.±%
1841 1,648,945    
1851 1,442,517−12.5%
1861 1,396,453−3.2%
1871 1,359,190−2.7%
1881 1,304,816−4.0%
1891 1,236,056−5.3%
1901 1,236,952+0.1%
1911 1,250,531+1.1%
1926 1,256,561+0.5%
1951 1,370,921+9.1%
1961 1,425,042+3.9%
1971 1,536,065+7.8%
1981 1,543,000+0.5%
1991 1,607,300+4.2%
2001 1,685,267+4.9%
2011 1,810,863+7.5%
2019 1,893,667+4.6%
Note: 1981 and 1991 data[4] Data for years prior to 1926 are from the Census of Ireland, for those counties that became Northern Ireland in 1920.
2019 estimates[5]

Place of birth

Map showing the percentage of the population born outside Northern Ireland according to the 2011 census.

In 2001, 91.0% of the population were born in Northern Ireland, 7.2% were born in other parts of the UK and Ireland, and 1.8% were born elsewhere. By 2011, the proportion of immigrants from outside the UK and Ireland had risen to 4.3%, while the proportion born within them (outside Northern Ireland) had fallen to 6.7%. The highest number of non-British/Irish immigrants are in Belfast, followed by Craigavon Urban Area and Dungannon. Dungannon has a bigger share of immigrants than any town in Northern Ireland, while Strabane has the smallest share of these immigrants.[6]

Place of Birth2001 population[7]2001%2011 population[8]2011%
 Northern Ireland1,534,26891.041,608,85388.84
 England61,6093.6664,7173.57
 Scotland16,7721.0015,4550.85
 Wales3,0080.182,5520.14
 Republic of Ireland39,0512.3237,8332.09
Other  European Union member countries10,3550.61
— Member countries prior to 2004 expansion9,7030.54
— Accession countries 2004 onwards35,7041.97
Other outside the EU20,2041.2036,0461.99
Total1,685,267100.001,810,863100.00

Age bands broken down by place of birth in the 2011 census.[9]

Place of birthAll ages0 to 1516 to 3435 to 6465 and over
Northern Ireland88.8%93.7%86.3%87.4%90.2%
England3.6%2.0%3.4%4.7%3.1%
Scotland0.9%0.4%0.7%1.1%1.1%
Wales0.1%0.1%0.1%0.2%0.2%
Republic of Ireland2.1%0.6%1.6%2.4%4.3%
EU member countries prior to 2004 expansion0.5%0.3%0.8%0.6%0.2%
EU accession countries 2004 onwards2.0%1.5%4.3%1.4%0.1%
Other2.0%1.4%2.7%2.3%0.8%

Below are the 5 largest foreign-born groups in Northern Ireland according to 2014 ONS estimates.[10]

Country of birth Estimated population, 2013 Estimated population, 2014 Estimated population, 2015
 Poland 25,000 20,000 18,000
 Lithuania 7,000 8,000 13,000
 India 8,000 6,000 6,000
 Philippines 3,000 4,000 5,000

Ethnicity

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 censuses.

Map showing the percentage of the population who are not white according to the 2011 census.
Ethnic group2001 population[11]2001%2011 population[12]2011%
White:1,670,98899.151,778,44998.21
White: Irish Traveller/White Gypsy1,7100.101,3010.07
White: Total1,672,69899.251,779,750

98.28

Asian or Asian British: Indian1,5670.096,1980.34
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani6680.041,0910.06
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi2520.015400.03
Asian or Asian British: Chinese4,1450.256,3030.35
Asian or Asian British: Asian Other1940.014,9980.28
Asian or Asian British: Total6,8240.4019,1301.06
Black or Black British: Caribbean2550.023720.02
Black or Black British: African4940.032,3450.13
Black or Black British: Other3870.028990.05
Black or Black British: Total1,1360.073,616

0.20

Mixed: Total3,3190.206,0140.33
Other: Any other ethnic group:Total1,2900.082,353

0.13

Total1,685,2671001,810,863100

See also Ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland

Languages spoken

English is by far the most commonly spoken language in Northern Ireland. Two regional languages of Northern Ireland, Irish and Ulster Scots, are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Several other languages are spoken by immigrants to Northern Ireland, the most common of which is Polish.

Foreign languages. Map showing the percentage of people whose main language was other than English or Irish (Gaelic) in the 2011 census. Those stating Ulster Scots as their main language were negligible in number and not analysed geographically by NISRA.

Main language of all usual residents aged 3 and over in the 2011 Census[13]

Main languageUsual residents aged 3+Proportion
English1,681,17196.86%
Polish17,7311.02%
Lithuanian6,2500.36%
Irish4,1640.24%
Portuguese2,2930.13%
Slovak2,2570.13%
Chinese2,2140.13%
Tagalog/Filipino1,8950.11%
Latvian1,2730.07%
Russian1,1910.07%
Hungarian1,0080.06%
Other13,0900.75%
Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2011 census

Ability in Irish of all usual residents aged 3 and over in the Census[14][15]

Ability in Irish 2001 2011
Usual residents aged 3+ Proportion Usual residents aged 3+ Proportion
Can understand133,3528.2%161,6629.3%
Can speak115,7317.2%104,9436.0%
Can read102,7846.4%87,8715.1%
Can write90,8795.6%76,6474.4%
Has some ability167,49010.4%184,89810.7%
Can understand, speak, read and write75,1254.6%64,8473.7%
Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2011 census

Ability in Ulster Scots of all usual residents aged 3 and over in the Census[16]

Ability in Ulster Scots 2011
Usual residents aged 3+ Proportion
Can understand134,1577.7%
Can speak35,4042.0%
Can read37,5012.2%
Can write18,1871.0%
Has some ability140,2048.1%
Can understand, speak, read and write16,3730.9%

Religion

Map of religion or religion brought up in from the 2011 census in Northern Ireland. Stronger blue indicates a higher proportion of Catholics. Stronger red indicates a higher proportion of Protestants.

The following table shows the religion stated by respondents to the 2001 and 2011 censuses.

Religion stated 2001[17] 2011[18]
Number % Number %
Roman Catholic678,46240.2738,03340.8
Presbyterian Church in Ireland348,74220.7345,10119.1
Church of Ireland257,78815.3248,82113.7
Methodist Church in Ireland59,1733.554,2533.0
Other Christian102,2216.1104,3805.8
(Total non-Roman Catholic Christian)767,92445.6752,55541.6
(Total Christian)1,446,38685.81,490,58882.3
Other religion5,0280.314,8590.8
No religion183,16410.1
Religion not stated122,2526.8
(No religion and Religion not stated)233,85313.9305,41616.9
Total population1,685,267100.01,810,863100.0

The religious affiliations in the districts of Northern Ireland at the time of the 2011 census were as follows. Note that these boundaries changed in 2015.

Districts of Northern Ireland by predominant religion as they were at the time of the 2011 census. Blue is Catholic and red is Protestant.
District 2001[19] 2011[20]
CatholicProtestant and other ChristianOtherCatholicProtestant and other ChristianOther
Antrim35.2%47.2%17.6%37.5%43.2%19.2%
Ards10.4%68.7%20.9%10.9%65.4%23.6%
Armagh45.4%45.5%9.1%44.8%43.0%12.2%
Ballymena19.0%67.8%13.3%20.4%63.3%16.3%
Ballymoney29.5%59.1%11.3%29.6%56.7%13.6%
Banbridge28.6%58.7%12.7%29.4%55.3%15.3%
Belfast42.1%40.3%17.5%41.9%34.1%24.0%
Carrickfergus6.5%70.4%23.1%7.6%67.2%25.2%
Castlereagh15.8%64.9%19.3%19.5%57.3%23.2%
Coleraine24.1%60.5%15.4%25.0%56.8%18.2%
Cookstown55.2%38.0%6.8%55.1%34.0%11.0%
Craigavon41.7%46.7%11.6%42.1%42.1%15.8%
Derry70.9%20.8%8.4%67.4%19.4%13.1%
Down57.1%29.2%13.7%57.5%27.1%15.4%
Dungannon57.3%34.9%7.7%58.7%29.8%11.5%
Fermanagh55.5%36.1%8.4%54.9%34.3%10.8%
Larne22.2%61.9%15.9%21.8%59.7%18.5%
Limavady53.1%36.1%10.7%56.0%34.3%9.7%
Lisburn30.1%53.6%16.4%32.8%47.9%19.3%
Magherafelt61.5%32.0%6.5%62.4%28.3%9.3%
Moyle56.6%33.8%9.6%54.4%32.3%13.3%
Newry and Mourne75.9%16.4%7.7%72.1%15.2%12.7%
Newtownabbey17.1%64.5%18.4%19.9%57.8%22.3%
North Down10.0%64.5%25.5%11.2%60.3%28.5%
Omagh65.1%26.3%8.6%65.4%24.8%9.8%
Strabane63.1%30.9%6.0%60.1%30.7%9.2%

Religions broken down by place of birth in the 2011 census.[21]

Map showing the proportion of the population in Northern Ireland who stated they had no religion in the 2011 census.
Place of birthCatholicProtestant and other ChristianOther ReligionNone or not statedPopulation
Northern Ireland40.7%43.5%0.5%15.4%1,608,853 (88.8%)
England30.1%36.7%1.6%31.6%64,717 (3.6%)
Scotland25.0%41.9%1.1%32.0%15,455 (0.9%)
Wales17.6%42.0%2.1%38.2%2,552 (0.1%)
Republic of Ireland63.8%22.6%0.7%12.9%37,833 (2.1%)
Other EU: Member countries prior to 2004 expansion28.8%26.1%1.6%43.5%9,703 (0.5%)
Other EU: Accession countries 2004 onwards63.1%6.2%0.8%29.9%35,720 (2.0%)
Other28.2%23.9%15.4%32.5%36,030 (2.0%)

The religious affiliations in the different age bands in the 2011 census were as follows:[22]

Stated religion for each age in the 2011 Northern Ireland census.
Ages attained (years)CatholicProtestant and other ChristianOther ReligionNone or not stated
0 to 444.3%31.7%0.9%23.2%
5 to 945.5%36.1%0.7%17.7%
10 to 1445.9%37.9%0.6%15.6%
15 to 1944.8%37.6%0.6%17.0%
20 to 2443.4%35.2%0.7%20.7%
25 to 2944.8%33.1%1.1%21.0%
30 to 3444.0%34.3%1.4%20.3%
35 to 3941.5%37.8%1.2%19.5%
40 to 4440.4%41.1%0.9%17.7%
45 to 4940.0%42.8%0.8%16.3%
50 to 5439.2%44.9%0.7%15.1%
55 to 5938.1%46.5%0.8%14.6%
60 to 6435.8%50.0%0.7%13.4%
65 to 6933.7%54.4%0.7%11.2%
70 to 7432.9%56.4%0.7%10.1%
75 to 7932.0%58.1%0.6%9.3%
80 to 8430.0%60.0%0.6%9.3%
85 to 8928.1%61.8%0.5%9.6%
90 and over25.8%64.0%0.5%9.6%
The percentage of respondents in each religious category of the census in Northern Ireland or the area that would later become Northern Ireland. Note that there was a high level of non-enumeration during the 1981 census mainly due to protests in Catholic areas about the Republican hunger strikes.[23]

National identity

Map of predominant national identity in the 2011 census in Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland national identity is complex. Many in Northern Ireland have a British national identity and view the English, Scots and Welsh as fellow members of their common nation while regarding people from the Republic of Ireland as foreigners. Many others in Northern Ireland view people from the Republic of Ireland as being members of their common nation encompassing the island of Ireland and regard the English, Scots and Welsh as foreigners. Co-existing with this dichotomy is a Northern Irish identity, which can be held alone or, as is also the case with Englishness, Scottishness and Welshness, alongside a British identity, or alongside an Irish identity. A small number of people see themselves as being both British and Irish.

Although there is a strong correlation between religion and national identity, Catholics tending to identify as Irish and Protestants tending to identify as British, this is not an absolute relationship, and the correlation is much weaker amongst Catholics than it is amongst Protestants. Amongst Catholics, geography also plays an important role, with Catholics in heavily Protestant parts of Northern Ireland being more likely to call themselves British and less likely to call themselves Irish than Catholics in more Catholic areas of Northern Ireland. (The reverse is true for Protestants, but to a lesser extent.) In the 2011 census there were four of the twenty-six districts of Northern Ireland, all on the east coast, where more Catholics considered themselves British than considered themselves Irish.

While in the 2011 census Protestants outnumbered Catholics in only half of the districts in Northern Ireland, those who considered themselves British outnumbered those who considered themselves Irish in twenty of the twenty-six districts in Northern Ireland. This is partly because Catholics were more likely to see themselves as British than Protestants were to see themselves as Irish (13% vs. 4% respectively), but is also partly because those of no religion were substantially more likely to see themselves as British as see themselves as Irish. The irreligious tend to live in Protestant areas, suggesting that they are mostly of Protestant descent. Members of the immigrant population, which includes many Poles, are also more likely to consider themselves Catholic.

Northern Irish identity was almost equally held amongst Protestants as amongst Catholics, and it varied little according to geography.

In the 2011 census respondents gave their national identity as follows.

2011 Census[24]
National identity Respondents
British
876,577
Northern Irish
533,085
Irish
513,390
English, Scottish or Welsh
29,187
Other
61,884

National identity by religion[25]

National identityAllCatholicProtestant and
other Christian
Other religionsNo religion
British48.4%12.9%81.6%50.1%55.9%
Irish28.4%57.2%3.9%12.4%14.0%
Northern Irish29.4%30.7%26.9%18.0%35.2%
English, Scottish or Welsh1.6%0.8%1.5%2.9%5.2%
All other3.4%4.4%1.0%29.1%7.1%

Detail by religion[26]

National identityAllCatholicProtestant and
other Christian
Other religionsNo religion
British only39.9%10.3%68.3%42.4%42.9%
Irish only25.3%53.2%2.1%8.1%9.4%
Northern Irish only20.9%26.9%14.5%12.0%23.7%
British and Northern Irish only6.2%0.9%11.1%3.3%7.9%
Irish and Northern Irish only1.1%2.0%0.2%0.5%0.8%
British, Irish and Northern Irish only1.0%0.8%1.0%1.0%2.1%
British and Irish only0.7%0.8%0.5%0.7%1.0%
English, Scottish or Welsh only1.0%0.6%0.8%2.1%3.5%
Other4.0%4.7%1.6%29.9%8.7%
Total100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%100.0%

National identity by age[24]

National Identities in each age band in the 2011 census.
Ages attained (years)BritishIrishNorthern IrishEnglish, Scottish or WelshAll other
0 to 1545.1%31.4%30.5%0.9%3.6%
16 to 2444.2%32.3%29.6%1.5%3.3%
25 to 3440.5%31.0%30.0%1.7%8.6%
35 to 4447.3%28.7%29.3%2.1%4.5%
45 to 5450.8%28.3%28.0%1.9%2.2%
55 to 6454.5%24.9%28.8%1.9%1.1%
65 to 7457.5%21.3%29.8%1.7%0.4%
75 to 8458.6%19.6%29.1%1.6%0.3%
85 and over61.7%18.0%26.5%2.0%0.2%

National identity by district[27]

Map of districts of Northern Ireland colour coded to show the predominant national identity in the 2011 census. Stronger green indicates a higher proportion of people describing themselves as Irish. Stronger blue indicates a higher proportion of people describing themselves as British. Percentages show the difference between the proportion of people describing themselves as Irish and the proportion of people describing themselves as British.
DistrictBritishIrishNorthern IrishEnglish, Scottish or WelshAll Other
Antrim55.2%20.1%30.4%2.3%3.9%
Ards73.6%7.5%31.9%1.9%1.5%
Armagh44.4%32.4%27.1%1.1%3.9%
Ballymena69.0%11.1%27.9%1.4%3.8%
Ballymoney60.6%16.4%30.9%1.7%1.7%
Banbridge61.1%16.2%31.8%1.5%1.8%
Belfast43.2%34.8%26.8%1.5%5.1%
Carrickfergus76.5%5.3%30.3%2.1%1.8%
Castlereagh66.2%14.7%31.3%1.5%2.6%
Coleraine62.4%14.5%31.6%2.0%3.2%
Cookstown37.3%33.5%32.1%1.2%3.7%
Craigavon48.3%25.6%28.7%1.4%6.4%
Derry23.7%55.0%24.6%1.4%2.0%
Down40.2%32.2%34.1%1.9%2.0%
Dungannon30.9%38.8%27.1%0.9%9.6%
Fermanagh37.2%36.1%29.5%1.7%3.1%
Larne69.8%10.1%31.4%2.1%1.2%
Limavady42.2%32.0%30.7%1.5%1.4%
Lisburn55.6%24.7%28.7%2.0%2.4%
Magherafelt31.4%42.7%29.8%1.0%2.8%
Moyle38.6%34.1%32.1%2.2%1.4%
Newry and Mourne20.2%53.0%27.6%1.2%4.3%
Newtownabbey66.5%13.4%31.2%1.3%2.4%
North Down71.1%9.1%33.0%3.0%2.4%
Omagh28.6%40.9%32.7%1.1%3.4%
Strabane33.0%39.2%31.8%1.4%1.3%

National identity by religion or religion brought up in for each district[27]

District Catholic Protestant and other Christian Other Religion or None
BritishIrishNorthern IrishAll OtherBritishIrishNorthern IrishAll OtherBritishIrishNorthern IrishAll Other
Antrim23.1%43.7%34.2%7.1%80.6%3.1%27.8%3.3%60.4%6.5%26.8%19.0%
Ards34.1%31.7%38.2%6.4%80.9%3.7%30.4%2.2%67.7%6.0%35.1%9.1%
Armagh7.1%62.5%28.7%6.2%81.6%3.6%25.7%2.3%49.3%10.5%25.1%25.3%
Ballymena24.6%38.9%34.7%11.0%83.6%2.7%25.7%2.5%62.3%6.5%28.4%14.4%
Ballymoney19.0%44.5%38.8%4.1%81.1%2.9%27.2%2.2%65.1%8.4%28.0%13.3%
Banbridge22.6%41.7%39.4%4.5%81.2%3.8%27.7%2.0%59.1%8.3%33.8%11.5%
Belfast11.7%64.3%25.0%5.6%78.3%5.5%28.7%3.6%47.7%13.3%27.5%26.3%
Carrickfergus41.1%24.6%35.6%10.7%82.0%3.0%29.2%2.4%68.3%5.3%33.7%8.5%
Castlereagh22.1%50.0%34.5%6.3%81.3%3.9%29.9%2.3%61.9%8.9%33.7%11.8%
Coleraine25.0%39.2%36.5%8.4%79.1%4.3%29.3%2.6%56.5%10.3%33.4%16.8%
Cookstown8.1%53.8%37.7%5.2%82.5%3.6%24.0%2.1%44.2%9.1%24.4%31.5%
Craigavon12.2%51.2%31.5%10.6%82.5%3.2%26.3%2.7%49.9%9.1%26.7%26.4%
Derry7.3%70.5%24.3%2.5%76.7%7.2%25.9%3.5%39.4%24.7%21.9%26.2%
Down20.1%47.4%37.1%2.9%77.4%5.6%28.7%3.6%52.1%14.4%32.1%16.7%
Dungannon5.7%57.6%28.6%13.0%79.6%4.5%24.5%3.0%33.3%12.0%22.8%42.1%
Fermanagh11.4%56.2%32.4%4.8%77.1%6.2%25.5%3.0%43.4%16.8%24.0%28.1%
Larne38.8%30.6%37.7%3.0%81.7%3.0%28.6%2.5%64.1%6.5%35.4%12.1%
Limavady18.1%50.5%34.4%2.5%79.8%4.1%24.9%2.5%51.4%10.9%28.8%18.7%
Lisburn16.5%58.6%27.8%4.3%80.2%4.7%29.0%3.2%62.2%8.8%30.3%13.9%
Magherafelt6.5%62.1%33.0%3.8%82.4%4.2%23.1%2.3%46.9%13.4%30.2%22.1%
Moyle14.6%53.1%35.3%2.8%76.3%5.0%27.8%3.3%49.4%17.8%23.8%19.8%
Newry and Mourne7.1%64.7%28.0%5.0%76.3%5.8%26.8%3.8%34.6%22.8%22.1%28.9%
Newtownabbey24.7%46.1%34.1%5.7%80.9%3.4%30.1%1.7%63.1%7.3%32.1%12.3%
North Down37.1%31.5%36.1%9.7%78.8%5.2%31.9%3.4%63.7%7.9%35.7%11.6%
Omagh8.7%55.7%36.0%4.4%78.5%4.9%25.0%2.5%40.6%15.9%23.7%28.9%
Strabane8.9%57.4%35.4%2.6%79.2%4.7%25.2%1.9%40.9%21.1%25.5%26.4%

National identity by place of birth[28]

Map of districts of Northern Ireland colour coded to show the predominant national identity amongst Catholics in the 2011 census. Stronger green indicates a higher proportion of Catholics describing themselves as Irish. Blue indicates more Catholics describing themselves as British than as Irish. Percentages show the difference between the proportion of Catholics describing themselves as Irish and the proportion of Catholics describing themselves as British.
Place of birthBritishIrishNorthern IrishEnglish, Scottish or WelshAll Other
Northern Ireland49.8%28.8%31.9%0.3%0.4%
Republic of Ireland15.9%77.6%10.9%0.2%0.5%
Channel Islands and Isle of Man58.4%19.9%12.6%2.5%17.2%
Great Britain60.7%13.5%10.7%29.0%0.7%
England64.4%14.8%11.2%22.8%0.8%
Scotland46.6%8.7%9.0%51.3%0.4%
Wales50.2%7.5%7.8%51.4%0.7%
EU countries excluding the UK and Ireland12.4%7.4%6.4%1.1%80.4%
EU member countries prior to 2004 expansion excluding the UK and Ireland35.5%10.1%12.1%2.8%52.7%
Germany62.4%8.0%17.3%5.3%21.9%
Portugal8.2%9.6%5.2%0.6%85.8%
EU accession countries 2004 onwards6.2%6.6%4.8%0.6%88.0%
Poland5.1%6.0%4.6%0.6%89.9%
Lithuania5.2%7.7%4.5%0.5%87.7%
Slovakia6.0%5.1%4.3%0.2%89.0%
Latvia7.8%7.7%4.9%0.7%84.9%
Romania12.3%9.1%6.8%0.5%79.5%
Other Europe: Non EU countries34.2%11.3%10.5%1.7%30.3%
Africa44.6%17.1%13.6%1.9%41.7%
South Africa51.5%14.6%15.4%2.1%35.4%
Middle East and Asia42.3%7.4%6.4%0.9%53.6%
China30.5%6.3%4.8%0.9%65.2%
Hong Kong76.1%3.5%6.9%1.3%21.4%
India38.5%5.3%4.8%0.8%57.8%
Pakistan46.1%7.7%7.7%0.6%47.9%
Bangladesh52.8%9.4%3.9%0.6%42.8%
Philippines46.8%5.1%4.0%0.2%56.9%
North America and Caribbean29.2%32.1%18.2%1.0%45.3%
United States of America18.3%39.1%17.1%0.7%52.4%
Canada46.7%21.5%20.7%1.2%34.6%
Central America35.6%11.3%16.0%2.1%62.9%
South America33.7%15.7%9.0%1.3%62.1%
Antarctica and Oceania36.1%23.2%18.5%1.6%42.8%
Australia36.3%26.5%20.7%0.9%38.2%
New Zealand40.1%15.8%14.2%3.9%48.1%
All outside Northern Ireland37.6%24.5%9.8%12.4%27.3%
All outside the UK and Ireland24.3%11.0%8.5%1.1%66.6%

National identity by ethnic group[29]

Shows the most common national identity stated in the 2011 census in Northern Ireland. Red is British, blue is Northern Irish and green is Irish.
Ethnic groupBritishIrishNorthern IrishEnglish, Scottish or WelshAll Other
White:48.5%28.6%29.8%1.6%2.7%
White: Irish Traveller/White Gypsy12.2%68.0%22.3%2.8%0.3%
White: Total48.5%28.6%29.8%1.6%3.4%
Asian or Asian British: Indian41.1%7.6%5.3%0.7%53.5%
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani58.9%8.5%10.7%0.9%32.0%
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi63.5%8.3%4.4%0.4%31.3%
Asian or Asian British: Chinese52.6%7.0%7.3%1.0%41.5%
Asian or Asian British: Asian Other42.2%7.7%4.8%0.3%59.6%
Asian or Asian British: Total46.8%7.5%6.1%0.7%49.3%
Black or Black British: Caribbean44.4%9.9%7.8%6.7%43.5%
Black or Black British: African25.8%15.5%7.7%1.1%69.1%
Black or Black British: Other29.1%20.5%12.6%2.3%54.2%
Black or Black British: Total28.6%16.2%8.9%2.0%62.7%
Mixed: Total47.3%24.6%26.6%3.0%18.7%
Other: Any other ethnic group:Total29.8%22.8%13.9%3.4%48.4%

Passports held

Map of the most commonly held passport according to the 2011 census. Red is British and green is Irish.

Those born in Northern Ireland have automatic British citizenship on the same basis and with the same provisos as those born elsewhere in the United Kingdom. As well as this, and despite the withdrawal of its constitutional claim to Northern Ireland in 1999, the Irish Government also grants the right to Irish citizenship to those born in Northern Ireland on the same basis and with the same provisos as those born within the Republic of Ireland. This means that most people in Northern Ireland are entitled to a British passport, an Irish passport, or both, as they so choose. By agreement between the Irish Government and Post Office Ltd, post offices in Northern Ireland provide a service whereby customers can apply for an Irish passport, operating alongside their service whereby customers can apply for a British passport. In the 2011 census, respondents stated that they held the following passports.[30][31]

Passport All usual residents Religion or religion brought up in
CatholicProtestant and other ChristianOther ReligionsNone
No passport18.9%19.2%18.5%9.9%20.2%
EU/EEA Countries82.1%82.4%82.4%69.3%78.4%
United Kingdom59.1%38.4%77.8%56.0%65.2%
Republic of Ireland20.8%40.5%4.1%10.0%7.2%
Poland1.0%2.0%0.1%0.6%0.9%
Lithuania0.4%0.7%0.0%0.2%0.8%
Other EU/EEA0.8%0.9%0.4%2.4%4.2%
Other1.2%0.9%0.7%26.0%3.5%
Passport All usual residents Religion or religion brought up in
CatholicProtestant and other ChristianOther ReligionsNone
No passport18.9%19.2%18.5%9.9%20.2%
United Kingdom only57.2%36.1%76.3%51.6%63.3%
Republic of Ireland only18.9%38.1%2.7%7.4%5.9%
United Kingdom and ROI only1.7%2.1%1.3%1.8%1.1%
United Kingdom and other (not ROI)0.2%0.1%0.2%2.4%0.7%
ROI and other (not United Kingdom)0.1%0.2%0.0%0.6%0.2%
EU/EEA (not United Kingdom or ROI)2.2%3.5%0.4%3.1%5.9%
Other0.8%0.6%0.4%23.0%2.7%

Age

According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Authority the average (median) age increased from 34 years to 37 years between the 2001 and 2011 censuses. Over the same period, the share of the population represented by children aged under 16 years fell from 24 per cent to 21 per cent, while the proportion of people aged 65 years and over rose from 13 per cent to 15 per cent.[32]

Population pyramid for Northern Ireland as at the 2011 census
Ages attained
(years)
Population[33] % of total
population
0–4 124,382 6.9
5–9 111,287 6.1
10–14 119,034 6.6
15–19 126,241 7.0
20–24 126,013 7.0
25–29 124,099 6.9
30–34 119,839 6.6
35–39 122,260 6.8
40–44 131,848 7.3
45–49 131,645 7.3
50–54 116,933 6.5
55–59 99,272 5.5
60–64 94,290 5.2
65–69 82,121 4.5
70–74 63,479 3.5
75–79 50,358 2.8
80–84 36,366 2.0
85–89 21,165 1.2
90+ 10,231 0.6

Summary of vital statistics since 1900

Average population [34][35][36][37] Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Total fertility rate
1901 30,782 23,954 6,828
1902 30,707 23,171 7,536
1903 31,290 23,096 8,194
1904 31,550 23,536 8,014
1905 31,405 22,949 8,456
1906 31,389 23,039 8,350
1907 30,969 23,754 7,215
1908 30,600 23,133 7,467
1909 30,640 22,275 8,365
1910 1,246,000 30,219 22,576 7,643 24.3 18.1 6.1
1911 1,249,000 30,407 21,326 9,081 24.3 17.1 7.3
1912 1,248,000 30,301 21,698 8,603 24.3 17.4 6.9
1913 1,243,000 29,880 22,510 7,370 24.0 18.1 5.9
1914 1,242,000 29,704 21,671 8,033 23.9 17.4 6.5
1915 1,210,000 28,082 22,438 5,644 23.2 18.5 4.7
1916 1,205,000 26,623 20,764 5,859 22.1 17.2 4.9
1917 1,208,000 24,949 21,011 3,938 20.7 17.4 3.3
1918 1,214,000 26,212 25,013 1,199 21.6 20.6 1.0
1919 1,250,000 27,496 22,836 4,660 22.0 18.2 3.8
1920 1,258,000 32,521 21,017 11,504 25.8 16.7 9.1
1921 1,264,000 29,710 19,301 10,409 23.7 15.4 8.3
1922 1,269,000 29,531 19,795 9,736 23.2 15.6 7.6
1923 1,259,000 30,097 18,790 11,307 23.9 14.9 9.1
1924 1,258,000 28,496 20,299 8,197 22.7 16.1 6.5
1925 1,257,000 27,686 19,784 7,902 22.0 15.8 6.3
1926 1,254,000 28,162 18,827 9,335 22.5 15.1 7.4
1927 1,250,000 26,676 18,216 8,460 21.4 14.6 6.8
1928 1,247,000 25,963 18,004 7,959 20.9 14.4 6.4
1929 1,240,000 25,410 19,822 5,588 20.5 16.0 4.4
1930 1,237,000 25,879 17,148 8,731 20.9 13.9 7.0
1931 1,243,000 25,673 18,049 7,624 20.7 14.5 6.2
1932 1,251,000 25,107 17,812 7,295 20.1 14.2 5.8
1933 1,258,000 24,601 18,154 6,447 19.6 14.5 5.1
1934 1,265,000 25,365 17,521 7,844 20.1 13.9 6.2
1935 1,271,000 24,742 18,592 6,150 19.5 14.6 4.8
1936 1,276,000 25,909 18,429 7,480 20.3 14.4 5.9
1937 1,281,000 25,412 19,282 6,130 19.8 15.1 4.8
1938 1,286,000 25,742 17,649 8,093 20.0 13.7 6.3
1939 1,295,000 25,240 17,542 7,698 19.5 13.5 5.9
1940 1,299,000 25,363 18,941 6,422 19.5 14.6 4.9
1941 1,308,000 26,887 20,034 6,853 20.6 15.3 5.2
1942 1,329,000 29,645 17,570 12,075 22.3 13.2 9.1
1943 1,341,000 31,521 17,720 13,801 23.5 13.2 10.3
1944 1,357,000 30,900 16,980 13,920 22.8 12.5 10.3
1945 1,359,000 29,007 16,432 12,575 21.3 12.1 9.3
1946 1,350,000 30,134 16,706 13,428 22.3 12.4 9.9
1947 1,350,000 31,254 16,944 14,310 23.2 12.6 10.6
1948 1,362,000 29,532 15,145 14,387 21.7 11.1 10.6
1949 1,371,000 29,106 15,670 13,436 21.2 11.4 9.8
1950 1,377,000 28,794 15,839 12,955 20.9 11.5 9.4
1951 1,373,000 28,477 17,628 10,849 20.7 12.8 7.9
1952 1,375,000 28,760 14,812 13,948 20.9 10.8 10.1
1953 1,384,000 28,984 14,813 14,171 20.9 10.7 10.2
1954 1,387,000 28,803 15,124 13,679 20.8 10.9 9.9
1955 1,394,000 28,965 15,407 13,558 20.8 11.1 9.7
1956 1,397,000 29,489 14,858 14,631 21.1 10.6 10.5
1957 1,399,000 30,108 15,187 14,921 21.5 10.9 10.7
1958 1,402,000 30,301 15,132 15,169 21.6 10.8 10.8
1959 1,408,000 30,809 15,403 15,406 21.9 10.9 10.9
1960 1,420,000 31,989 15,296 16,693 22.5 10.8 11.8
1961 1,427,000 31,915 16,108 15,807 22.4 11.3 11.1
1962 1,435,000 32,565 15,226 17,339 22.7 10.6 12.1
1963 1,446,000 33,414 15,899 17,515 23.1 11.0 12.1
1964 1,458,000 34,345 15,354 18,991 23.6 10.5 13.0
1965 1,469,000 33,890 15,551 18,339 23.1 10.6 12.5
1966 1,478,000 33,228 16,441 16,787 22.5 11.1 11.4
1967 1,491,000 33,415 14,671 18,744 22.4 9.8 12.6
1968 1,502,000 33,173 15,933 17,240 22.1 10.6 11.5
1969 1,513,000 32,428 16,338 16,090 21.4 10.8 10.6
1970 1,525,000 32,086 16,551 15,535 21.0 10.9 10.2
1971 1,540,000 31,765 16,202 15,563 20.6 10.5 10.1
1972 1,539,000 29,994 17,032 12,962 19.5 11.1 8.4
1973 1,530,000 29,200 17,669 11,531 19.1 11.5 7.5
1974 1,527,000 27,160 17,327 9,833 17.8 11.3 6.4 2.78
1975 1,524,000 26,130 16,511 9,619 17.2 10.8 6.4 2.68
1976 1,524,000 26,361 17,030 9,331 17.3 11.2 6.1 2.70
1977 1,523,000 25,437 16,921 8,516 16.7 11.1 5.6 2.59
1978 1,523,000 26,239 16,153 10,086 17.2 10.6 6.6 2.66
1979 1,528,000 28,178 16,811 11,367 18.4 11.0 7.4 2.82
1980 1,533,000 28,582 16,835 11,747 18.6 11.0 7.7 2.79
1981 1,543,000 27,166 16,256 10,910 17.6 10.5 7.1 2.59
1982 1,545,000 26,872 15,918 10,954 17.4 10.3 7.1 2.53
1983 1,551,000 27,026 16,039 10,987 17.4 10.3 7.1 2.51
1984 1,557,000 27,477 15,692 11,785 17.6 10.1 7.5 2.50
1985 1,565,000 27,427 15,955 11,472 17.5 10.2 7.3 2.45
1986 1,574,000 27,975 16,065 11,910 17.8 10.2 7.6 2.44
1987 1,582,000 27,653 15,334 12,319 17.5 9.7 7.8 2.39
1988 1,585,000 27,514 15,813 11,701 17.4 10.0 7.4 2.35
1989 1,590,000 25,831 15,844 9,987 16.2 10.0 6.2 2.19
1990 1,596,000 26,251 15,426 10,825 16.5 9.7 6.8 2.21
1991 1,607,000 26,028 15,096 10,932 16.2 9.4 6.9 2.16
1992 1,623,000 25,354 14,988 10,366 15.6 9.2 6.4 2.08
1993 1,636,000 24,722 15,633 9,089 15.1 9.6 5.5 2.01
1994 1,644,000 24,098 15,114 8,984 14.7 9.2 5.5 1.95
1995 1,649,000 23,693 15,310 8,383 14.4 9.3 5.1 1.91
1996 1,662,000 24,382 15,218 9,164 14.7 9.2 5.5 1.95
1997 1,671,000 24,087 14,971 9,116 14.4 9.0 5.4 1.93
1998 1,678,000 23,668 14,993 8,675 14.1 8.9 5.2 1.90
1999 1,679,000 22,957 15,663 7,294 13.7 9.3 4.3 1.86
2000 1,683,000 21,512 14,903 6,609 12.8 8.9 3.9 1.75
2001 1,689,000 21,962 14,513 7,449 13.0 8.6 4.4 1.81
2002 1,697,000 21,385 14,586 6,799 12.6 8.6 4.0 1.76
2003 1,703,000 21,648 14,462 7,186 12.7 8.5 4.2 1.79
2004 1,710,000 22,318 14,354 7,964 13.0 8.4 4.7 1.84
2005 1,724,000 22,328 14,224 8,104 12.9 8.2 4.7 1.84
2006 1,742,000 23,272 14,532 8,740 13.4 8.3 5.0 1.90
2007 1,759,000 24,451 14,649 9,802 13.9 8.3 5.6 1.98
2008 1,775,000 25,631 14,907 10,724 14.4 8.4 6.0 2.05
2009 1,789,000 24,910 14,413 10,497 13.9 8.1 5.8 1.99
2010 1,799,000 25,315 14,457 10,858 14.1 8.0 6.1 2.02
2011 1,809,000 25,273 14,204 11,069 14.0 7.8 6.2 2.02
2012 1,820,000 25,269 14,756 10,513 14.0 8.1 5.9 2.03
2013 1,830,000 24,277 14,968 9,309 13.3 8.2 5.1 1.96
2014 1,840,000 24,394 14,678 9,716 13.3 8.0 5.3 1.96
2015 1,851,000 24,215 15,553 8,662 13.1 8.4 4.7 1.95
2016 1,862,000 24,076 15,430 8,646 12.9 8.3 4.6 1.95
2017 1,871,000 23,075 16,036 7,039 12.3 8.6 3.7 1.87
2018 1,882,000 22,829 15,923 6,906 12.1 8.5 3.6 1.85
2019 1,893,700 22,466 15,758 6,708 11.8 8.3 3.5 1.82
2020 1,900,200 20,815 17,613 3,202 11.0 9.3 1.7

Current vital statistics

[38] [39]

  • Births from January-November 2019 = 21,008
  • Births from January-November 2020 = 19,286 ***
  • Deaths from January-November 2019 = 14,339
  • Deaths from January-November 2020 = 15,958
  • Natural population growth from January-November 2019 = 6,669
  • Natural population growth from January-November 2020 = 3,328
* * * During the months from March to June 2020 the registration of births was affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Other statistics

Life expectancy at birth:[40]
Men: 77.2 years
Women: 80.8 years

Infant mortality rate:[40]
6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1999)

Total Period Fertility Rate (TPFR):[41]
2.06 children born/woman (2011)

HIV/AIDS prevalence rate:[42]
0.024% (2005 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS:[42]
408 (2005)

See also

References

  1. Population at Census Day 2011: Usually resident population by single year of age and sex -Table 1 NISRA September 2012 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Accessed 16 August 2013
  2. Country Profiles: Key Statistics - Northern Ireland, August 2012, Accessed 5 February 2014
  3. https://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011census
  4. "NISRA: Historic Population Trends" (PDF). Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  5. "NISRA: Population Clock". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  6. "NI migrant population triples in decade, says study". BBC News. 26 June 2014.
  7. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service" (XLS). Ninis2.nisra.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  8. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  9. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  10. "Table 1.3: Overseas-born population in the United Kingdom, excluding some residents in communal establishments, by sex, by country of birth, January 2014 to December 2014". Office for National Statistics. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2016. Figures given are the central estimates. See the source for 95 per cent confidence intervals.
  11. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  12. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  13. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  14. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  15. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  16. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  17. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  18. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  19. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  20. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  21. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  22. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  23. "CAIN Web Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  24. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  25. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  26. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  27. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  28. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  29. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  30. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  31. "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  32. Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland Statistics Bulletin December 2012, Accessed 22 December 2012
  33. "ONS: 2011 Census: Usual resident population by five-year age group and sex, United Kingdom and constituent countries". Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  34. B.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975
  35. "United Nations. Demographic Yearbook 1948" (PDF). Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  36. "Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency". Nisra.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  37. "Population and vital events, 1926-2014" (PDF). Nisra.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  38. "Births". NISRA. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
  39. "Deaths". NISRA. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  40. "publichealthmatters.org". Publichealthmatters.org. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  41. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 29 August 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  42. "Sexually Transmitted Infections" (PDF). Health Promotion Agency. January 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 January 2012.

Further reading

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