Demographics of Northern Ireland

{{Short description|none}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox place demographics|place=Northern Ireland|image=File:Northern Ireland Population pyramid estimate 2020.svg|image_size=350|caption=Population pyramid of Northern Ireland in 2020|size_of_population=1,903,175 (2021 census)|density=133 per km2|life_male=78.4 years{{cite web|title=Life expectancy for local areas in England, Northern Ireland and Wales: between 2001 to 2003 and 2020 to 2022 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/lifeexpectancyforlocalareasoftheuk/between2001to2003and2020to2022 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |language=en |date=2024-01-26 |access-date=24 February 2024}} — section 2. Period life expectancy estimates in constituent countries and English regions: 2020 to 2022. Figure 1 data.|life_female=82.3 years|age_0-14_years=19%|age_15-64_years=64%|age_65_years=17%|major_ethnic=White 97%|minor_ethnic=other ethnic groups 3%}}Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four parts 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. Northern Ireland contains 27.1% of the total population and 16.75% of the total area of the island of Ireland.

The Belfast Metropolitan Area dominates in population terms, with over a third of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland.

When Northern Ireland was created, it had a Protestant majority of approximately two-to-one,{{cite journal|last1=Anderson|first1=James|last2=Shuttleworth|first2=Ian|title=Sectarian demography, territoriality and political development in Northern Ireland|journal=Political Geography|volume=17|issue=2|year=1998|pages=187–208|issn=0962-6298|doi=10.1016/S0962-6298(97)00035-8|pmid=12348611}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/world/europe/northern-ireland-census-catholics-protestants.html|title=Catholics Outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for the First Time|first1=Megan|last1=Specia|first2=Ed|last2=O'Loughlin|newspaper=The New York Times |date=22 September 2022}}{{Cite journal|title=Census politics in Northern Ireland from the Good Friday Agreement to Brexit: Beyond the 'sectarian headcount'?|first=Laurence|last=Cooley|date=30 August 2021|journal=The British Journal of Politics and International Relations|volume=23|issue=3|pages=451–470|doi=10.1177/1369148120959045|s2cid=228856031 |doi-access=free}} unlike the Republic of Ireland, where Catholics were in the majority.{{Cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/09/22/more-catholics-than-protestants-in-northern-ireland-for-first-time-census-finds/|title=More Catholics than Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time, census finds|newspaper=The Irish Times}} The 2001 census was the first to show that the Protestant and other (non-Catholic) Christian share of the population had dropped below 50%, but 53.1% still identified as being from a Protestant or other Christian background. In the 2011 census, this dropped to 48.4%.{{Cite web|url=https://factcheckni.org/articles/explainers/communal-counting-the-northern-ireland-census/|title=Communal counting: The Northern Ireland census|date=6 March 2019}} In 2021, the recorded number of Catholics by background (45.7%) overtook the Protestant and other Christian by background share (43.48%), becoming the plurality, with no group in the overall majority.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-62980394|title=Census 2021: More from Catholic background in NI than Protestant|publisher=BBC News |date=22 September 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.thejournal.ie/catholic-uptick-in-ni-census-most-important-finding-says-jon-tonge-despite-surge-in-non-religious-grouping-5873313-Sep2022/|title='Historic' shift for Northern Ireland but what do the Census findings tell us about its future?|first=Diarmuid|last=Pepper|website=The Journal|date=22 September 2022 }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2022/0926/1325468-northern-ireland-census-2021-religon-political-identity-border-poll/|title=Why drawing political claims from NI census is problematic|date=26 September 2022|publisher=RTE}}{{cite journal |last1=Coulter |first1=Colin |last2=Flaherty |first2=Eoin |last3=Shirlow |first3=Peter |title='Seismic' or stalemate? The (bio)politics of the 2021 Northern Ireland Census |journal=Space and Polity |date=2023-09-20 |volume=27 |pages=57–77 |doi=10.1080/13562576.2023.2260153|doi-access=free }}

Its people speak Irish (Gaelic), Ulster Scots and Ulster English which is itself heavily influenced by the Scots language of which Ulster Scots is a dialect. In addition the Ulster dialect of Irish (Gaelic) also has a closer connection to Scottish Gaelic than other Irish (Gaelic) dialects. 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, although a significant minority identifies as Irish. Many people in Northern Ireland have a Northern Irish identity, whether in addition to a British or Irish identity or by itself.

Historic population trends

File:Population of NI over time.svg

{{Historical populations

| width=300px

| title= Population census

| percentages =

| 1841 |1648945

| 1851 |1442517

| 1861 |1396453

| 1871 |1359190

| 1881 |1304816

| 1891 |1236056

| 1901 |1236952

| 1911 |1250531

| 1926 |1256561

| 1951 |1370921

| 1961 |1425042

| 1971 |1536065

| 1981 |1543000

| 1991 |1607300

| 2001 |1685267

| 2011 |1810863

| 2021 |1903175

| 2023{{cite web|title=Population Clock |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/MYE23-bulletin_1.pdf|access-date=10 November 2024}} |1920400

|footnote=Note: 1981 and 1991 data are mid-year estimates.{{cite web|title=Historic Population Trends |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/Historic_Population_Trends_%281841-2011%29_NI_and_RoI.pdf|access-date=22 July 2014|archive-date=10 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131010142537/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/Historic_Population_Trends_%281841-2011%29_NI_and_RoI.pdf|url-status=dead}}

Data for years prior to 1926 are from the Census of Ireland, for those counties that became Northern Ireland in 1920.

}}

File:Population Change 2011 to 2021.png

class="wikitable"

! colspan="6" |Cities and towns by population{{cite web |title=Population including Settlements|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-ms-b23.xlsx|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}}

rowspan="21" |frameless

!#

!Population

!Metro

population

! rowspan="21" |frameless

1

| style="text-align:left" |Belfast

|293,300

|626,339

2

| style="text-align:left" |Derry

|85,279

|94,376

3

| style="text-align:left" |Lisburn Part of Belfast metropolitan area

|51,447

|84,090

4

| style="text-align:left" |Craigavon Urban Area

|72,301

5

| style="text-align:left" |Metropolitan Newtonabbey

|67,599

|

6

| style="text-align:left" |Bangor

|64,596

|

7

| style="text-align:left" |Metropolitan Castlereagh

|58,762

|

8

| style="text-align:left" |Ballymena

|31,205

9

| style="text-align:left" |Newtownards

|29,677

10

| style="text-align:left" |Newry

|28,530

|

11

| style="text-align:left" |Carrickfergus

|28,141

|

= Fertility =

File:Percentage of births born outside of wedlock in Northern Ireland.svg|Percentage of births born outside of wedlock in Northern Ireland

File:Age of mother at birth in Northern Ireland.svg|Age of mother at birth in Northern Ireland

Population density

File:Population Density 2021.png based on 2021 census]]

Northern Ireland's population density is 133 people per square kilometre – comparable to European countries such as Denmark and the Czech Republic. If Northern Ireland were a sovereign state, it would have the 16th-highest population density in Europe. It has a higher population density than Scotland (70 people per km²), but less than England (434 per km²) and Wales (153 per km²).{{Cite web |title=UK Government Web Archive |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160108051201/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/administrative/the-countries-of-the-uk/index.html |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}

Belfast is the most population-dense of the 11 local government districts at 2,617 per km², with the highest population (345,418){{Cite web |date=2022-09-27 |title=Belfast Census Data |url=https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021//N09000003/ |access-date=2024-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927133256/https://explore.nisra.gov.uk/area-explorer-2021//N09000003/ |archive-date=27 September 2022 }} and least land area (133 km²){{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Census 2021 - MS-A14: Population density - UK Data Service CKAN |url=https://statistics.ukdataservice.ac.uk/dataset/northern-ireland-census-2021-ms-a14-population-density |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=statistics.ukdataservice.ac.uk |language=en-GB}} of any district, and includes both Belfast City and much of the Metropolitan Castlereagh settlement (formerly part of the Castlereagh local government district before 2015).

Fermanagh and Omagh is the least dense district, with the lowest population (116,812){{Cite web |title=Census-2021-Population-and-Households-for-Data-Zones.pdf |url=https://www.fermanaghomagh.com/app/uploads/2023/03/Census-2021-Population-and-Households-for-Data-Zones.pdf |website=Fermanagh & Omagh District Council}} and greatest land area (2,836 km²). It includes all of Northern Ireland's least-populous county, Fermanagh (except the townland of Killybane near Fivemiletown), and the largely rural former Omagh district.

File:Densest wards with motorways railways etc.png

Of the 80 District Electoral Areas that make up the local government districts, Botanic in Belfast has the highest population density at 4,653 people per km²,{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Census 2021 - MS-A14: Population density - UK Data Service CKAN |url=https://statistics.ukdataservice.ac.uk/dataset/northern-ireland-census-2021-ms-a14-population-density |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=statistics.ukdataservice.ac.uk |language=en-GB}} as well as being the most populous DEA (49,727 people in 2021).{{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland DEAs by population |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DEA14 |website=NISRA}} The DEA includes Belfast city centre, Queen's University, and much of the city's student population.

Erne West in Fermanagh and Omagh has the lowest population density of any DEA, with 20 people per km², as well as being the least populous DEA (14,661 people in 2021). Erne West is largely mountainous and separated from the rest of Northern Ireland by Lough Erne, with only a few roads around and over the lough. The largest settlement, Bellanaleck, a small village near Enniskillen, is home to only 714 people,{{Cite web |date=2023-12-18 |title=Census 2021 person and household estimates for settlements |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-person-and-household-estimates-for-settlements |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |language=en}} and is apart from the other small villages spread through Erne West's large, narrow area.

File:Densest contiguous wards with motorways railways etc.png

File:Contiguous majority wards - around Belfast (with motorways dcs etc overlaid).png

As of 2021, 50.2% of Northern Ireland's population lived in the 217 most population-dense electoral wards (around 47% of Northern Ireland's 462 wards). The 217 wards have an area of 460.1 km², 3.3% of Northern Ireland's total area. Of these 217 wards, 99 are a contiguous area covering most of Belfast, Castlereagh, Lisburn and Newtownabbey. These 217 wards are highlighted in red on the map.

These wards cover part or all of the 28 largest settlements in Northern Ireland, as well as Warrenpoint, Donaghadee, Ballynahinch, Moira, Maghera and Coalisland. The vast majority of these wards contain or are near a motorway, dual carriageway or train station. Considering this, the most remote wards are the Portora and Erne wards in Ennskillen, which are 30 miles from the A4 dual carriageway near Ballygawley.

Furthermore, 50.02% of Northern Ireland's population lived in the most population-dense contiguous area of 216 electoral wards. These 216 wards have an area of 1,299 km², 9.4% of Northern Ireland's total area. These 216 wards are highlighted in purple on the map. These wards cover part or all of the 10 largest settlements, and almost entirely track Northern Ireland's rail lines, motorways and dual carriageways. The exceptions are a spur towards Armagh city; and a string of villages between Ballymena and Limavady.

The electoral wards in Northern Ireland with the highest and lowest population density are listed in the table below:

class="wikitable sortable"

!No.

!Electoral Ward (2012)

!District Electoral Area (2012)

!Local Government District (2012)

!Electoral Ward population (2021){{Cite web |date=2022-09-07 |title=Census 2021 main statistics demography tables – age and sex |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-age-and-sex |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |language=en}}

!Density (/km²){{Cite web |title=OSNI Open Data - Largescale Boundaries - Wards (2012) - GeoJSON - Open Data NI |url=https://admin.opendatani.gov.uk/dataset/osni-open-data-largescale-boundaries-wards-2012/resource/fa644094-f2dc-414b-899f-1a19daeca06b |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=admin.opendatani.gov.uk |language=en-GB}}

!Area (km²)

1

|5,490

|10,235.66

|0.54

2

|Woodstock

|6,431

|9,649.75

|0.67

3

|Windsor

|11,302

|8,183.80

|1.38

4

|Clonard

|5,999

|7,641.16

|0.79

5

|Bloomfield

|5,894

|7,224.94

|0.82

6

|Beersbridge

|6,610

|6,952.38

|0.95

7

|4,881

|6,815.49

|0.72

8

|Connswater

|5,929

|6,387.94

|0.93

9

|Ballymurphy

|Black Mountain

|5,131

|6,329.39

|0.81

10

|Beechmount

|Black Mountain

|5,394

|6,255.17

|0.86

11

|Woodvale

|5,170

|6,143.26

|0.84

12

|Ballymacarrett

|5,905

|5,972.05

|0.99

13

|6,445

|5,793.76

|1.11

14

|Fairview

|Three Mile Water

|Antrim and Newtownabbey

|3,115

|5,610.43

|0.56

15

|Central

|15,446

|5,497.58

|2.81

16

|4,587

|5,418.46

|0.85

17

|Fortwilliam

|4,717

|5,381.77

|0.88

18

|Shantallow

|Derry City and Strabane

|3,667

|5,317.61

|0.69

19

|Silverstream

|Ards and North Down

|3,960

|5,305.38

|0.75

20

|Rosetta

|5,793

|5,215.15

|1.11

...

|...

|...

|...

|...

|...

|...

443

|Derrylin

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,794

|26.45

|105.65

444

|Dunnamanagh

|Derry City and Strabane

|3,513

|25.75

|136.45

445

|Fairy Water

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,826

|25.57

|110.50

446

|Boho, Cleenish and Letterbreen

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|3,466

|24.76

|139.99

447

|Causeway Coast and Glens

|3,297

|24.44

|134.88

448

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,331

|24.43

|95.43

449

|Magilligan

|Causeway Coast and Glens

|3,481

|24.00

|145.01

450

|Donagh

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,527

|23.17

|109.06

451

|Fivemiletown

|Clogher Valley

|3,174

|21.34

|148.76

452

|Brookeborough

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,579

|20.88

|123.50

453

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,910

|18.38

|158.31

454

|Derrygonnelly

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,898

|18.00

|160.98

455

|Mid and East Antrim

|3,207

|17.90

|179.17

456

|Florence Court and Kinawley

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,883

|17.61

|163.75

457

|Belleek and Boa

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|3,123

|15.94

|195.90

458

|Glenderg

|Derry City and Strabane

|3,200

|15.09

|212.05

459

|Owenkillew

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,698

|14.40

|187.30

460

|Torr Head and Rathlin

|Causeway Coast and Glens

|3,597

|14.21

|253.11

461

|Glenelly Valley

|Derry City and Strabane

|3,403

|13.25

|256.90

462

|Belcoo and Garrison

|Fermanagh and Omagh

|2,644

|13.07

|202.26

Place of birth

[[File:Place of birth by age group.png|thumb|300x300px|left|Place of birth by age group{{cite web|url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=AGE_BAND_5YR&v=COB_BASIC_LR&p=1|title=2021 Census Place of Birth by Age Group|publisher=NISRA|date=27 September 2024|access-date=27 September 2024

}}]]

File:Born outside NI.png

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 2021, the proportion of immigrants from outside the UK and Ireland had risen to 6.6%, while the proportion born within other parts of the UK and Ireland had fallen to 6.9%. The highest number of non-British/Irish immigrants are in Belfast City Council, followed by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Mid Ulster District Council. The town of Dungannon in Mid Ulster District Council has a bigger share of immigrants than any town in Northern Ireland, while Derry City and Strabane has the smallest share of immigrants.{{Cite web |title=Census 2021 Country of birth by local authority |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=LGD14&v=COB_AGG4&p=1 |access-date=10 September 2024 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |language=en}}

Number \|\| % \|\| Number \|\| % !Number !%
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" ! rowspan="2" \|Place of Birth ! colspan="2" \|2001{{cite web \|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Excel/2001/KS05%20%20(st).xls \|access-date=22 July 2014 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency \|format=XLS}} ! colspan="2" \|2011{{cite web \|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS206NI.xls \|url-status=dead \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095516/http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS206NI.xls \|archive-date=4 March 2016 \|access-date=22 July 2014}} ! colspan="2" \|2021{{Cite web \|date=7 September 2022 \|title=Census 2021 main statistics demography tables – country of birth \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-country-of-birth \|access-date=23 September 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency \|language=en}}
style="text-align:left" \| Northern Ireland	1,534,268	91.04	1,608,853	88.84 \|1,646,276 \|86.50%
style="text-align:left" \| England	61,609	3.66	64,717	3.57 \|72,940 \|3.83%
style="text-align:left" \| Scotland	16,772	1.00	15,455	0.85 \|16,521 \|0.87%
style="text-align:left" \| Wales	3,008	0.18	2,552	0.14 \|2,796 \|0.15%
style="text-align:left" \| Republic of Ireland	39,051	2.32	37,833	2.09 \|40,357 \|2.12%
style="text-align:left" \| Other European Union member countries	10,355	0.61		\|67,451 \|3.54%
style="text-align:left" \| — Member countries prior to 2004 expansion			9,703	0.54 \| \|
style="text-align:left" \| — Accession countries 2004 onwards			35,704	1.97 \| \|
style="text-align:left" \| Other outside the EU	20,204	1.20	36,046	1.99 \|57,012 \|2.99%
Europe \| \| \| \| \|3,689 \|0.19%
Africa \| \| \| \| \|10,761 \|0.57%
Middle East and Asia \| \| \| \| \|29,241 \|1.54%
North, Central America and Caribbean \| \| \| \| \|8,207 \|0.43%
South America \| \| \| \| \|1,858 \|0.10%
Oceania and other \| \| \| \| \|3,076 \|0.16%
style="text-align:left" \| Total	1,685,267	100.00	1,810,863	100.00 !1,903,173 !100%

Below are the 5 largest foreign-born groups in Northern Ireland according to 2014 ONS estimates.{{cite web|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/migration1/population-by-country-of-birth-and-nationality/2014/rft-table-5-pop-by-cob-jan-14-to-dec-14.xls|title=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|publisher=Office for National Statistics|date=27 August 2015|access-date=17 April 2016}} Figures given are the central estimates. See the source for 95 per cent confidence intervals.

class="wikitable sortable"

style="text-align:center; background:#9dbec3;"|Country of birth

! style="text-align:center; background:#9dbec3;"|Estimated population, 2013

! style="text-align:center; background:#9dbec3;"|Estimated population, 2014

! style="text-align:center; background:#9dbec3;"|Estimated population, 2015

border = "1"|Poland

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|25000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|20000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|18000 }}

border = "1"|Lithuania

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|7000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|8000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|13000 }}

border = "1"|India

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|8000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|6000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|6000 }}

border = "1"|Philippines

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|3000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|4000 }}

|style="text-align:right"|{{nts|5000 }}

Emigration

Detailed statistic on births are available between 1887 and 2022 in Birth tables {{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Birth Tables |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/Section%203%20-%20Births_Tables_2022_Revised_Final.xlsx|access-date=17 November 2024}} and deaths between 1955 and 2022 in Death tables {{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Death Tables. |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/Section%205%20-%20Death_Tables_2022_Revised_Final.xlsx|access-date=17 November 2024}}

Using deaths and births between 1955 and 2021, and the number of those from the 2021 census whose country of birth is Northern Ireland, we can estimate emigration for those aged under 66 by subtracting the total of the number of deaths and the number of those born in Northern Ireland who are still living there.

{{Table alignment}}

	All ages	18-66 year olds
class="wikitable defaultcenter" \|+ Northern Irish emigration estimates
Births 1955-2021	1,801,552	1,353,624
Deaths 1955-2021 among those born 1955-2021	78,914	76,226
Country of birth is Northern Ireland in 2021 Census, ages 0–66	1,389,081	965,538
Estimated Emigration \|\| 333,557 \|\| 311,860
Estimated Emigration as a percentage of births \|\| 18.5% \|\| 23.0%

This gives an estimate of 18.5% of all people born since 1955 have emigrated, or 23% of adults aged 18–66. This is an estimate of the minimum amount of emigration, since deaths are not broken down by country of birth, so some of those will not have been born in Northern Ireland. Most deaths occur in the over 50 and currently about 12.5% of those aged 50 and over were born outside Northern Ireland. Adjusting the number of deaths downwards by 12.5%, we can estimate an emigration rate of 18.5 to 19% for all ages, and 23.0% to 23.7% for adults aged 18–66.

Doing the same analysis by age shows that this is consistent with the actual number of those born in Northern Ireland from the 2021 England/Wales census,{{cite web|title=England Wales Census 2021 |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/create/filter-outputs/562c0bdd-3263-4262-8914-8ddde5856b54#get-data|access-date=20 August 2024}} where about 40% of emigrants have settled in England or Wales.

Births and deaths 1955-2021.png|Births, deaths, and Northern Ireland-born living in Northern Ireland

NI compared to England.png|Estimated emigration as percentage of births, compared to Northern Ireland-born living in England as a percentage of births

Below are the numbers of Northern Ireland born living outside Northern Ireland from the most recent censuses for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

{{Table alignment}}

	0-17 year olds	18-34 year olds	34-65 year olds	65+ year olds \|\| Total
class="wikitable defaultcenter" \|+ Northern Irish emigration to other countries
England	5,730	37,193	87, 245	60,362	190, 534
Scotland{{cite web\|title=Scotland's Census \|url=https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/search-the-census#/location/topics/list?topic=Ethnic%20group,%20national%20identity,%20language%20and%20religion&categoryId=1\|access-date=20 August 2024}}	1,354	10,061	18,029	7,817	37,260
Wales	273	1,541	3,471	2,521	7,806
Total UK \|\| 7,357 \|\| 48,795 \|\| 108,745 \|\| 70,700 \|\| 235,600
Ireland{{cite web\|title=Census of Population 2022 - Summary Results Table 4.5 \|date=30 May 2023 \|url=https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-cpsr/censusofpopulation2022-summaryresults/migrationanddiversity/\|access-date=10 September 2024}}					61,750
Australia{{cite web\|title=People in Australia who were born in Northern Ireland\|url=https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/2104_AUS\|access-date=18 November 2024}}	colspan=2\| 3,293	10,244	9,450	22,995
New Zealand{{cite web\|title=People in New Zealand who were born in Northern Ireland\|url=https://figure.nz/chart/PLlDDA1MEex4PYPw\|access-date=18 November 2024}}					4,806
Total \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\| \|\| 325,151
colspan=6\|Based on UK emigration
United States{{cite web\|title=US Census Country of Birth\|url=https://data.census.gov/table?q=B05006\|access-date=23 November 2024}}	colspan=4\| 693,465 UK emigrants	18,700
Canada{{cite web\|title=Canadian Census Country of Birth\| date=21 June 2023 \|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810034901\|access-date=23 November 2024}}	colspan=4\| 464,135 UK emigrants	12,500
EU (excluding Ireland){{cite web\|title=UK House of Commons Library\|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06077/\|access-date=23 November 2024}}	colspan=4\| 994,000 UK emigrants	26,800
Total \|\| colspan=4\| Estimated from 2.7% of UK figures\|\| 58,000

Numbers for other countries are not available for the individual countries that make up the UK, so it is not possible to accurately determine the number living in the US, Canada, or the EU (excluding Ireland). The numbers estimated from total UK emigrants are included in the above table but not included in the total.

Of those born in Northern Ireland and aged between 16 and 24, 64% living in England and 72% living in Scotland are full time students.{{cite web|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/create/filter-outputs/3cd40a89-0285-447a-8239-57e836695555#get-data|title=2021 England/Wales Census country of birth, Highest level of qualification, by age|access-date=27 November 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/dataCatalogueExplorer.xhtml|title=2022 Scotland Census Flexible Table Builder|access-date=7 December 2024}}

Ethnicity

Northern Ireland ethnic demography 2001 to 2021.gif|Ethnic demography of Northern Ireland from 2001 to 2021

Population pyramid of Northern Ireland by ethnicity.svg|Population pyramid of Northern Ireland by ethnicity in 2021

The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents for the following censuses

Number !% ! Number \|\| % \|\| Number \|\| % !Number !%
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" ! rowspan="2" \|Ethnic group ! colspan="2" \|1991 estimates{{Cite web \|date=2002-03-17 \|title=Ethnicity in the 1991 Census Volume 1 Demographic characteristics of the ethnic minority populations \|url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8000&More=Y \|access-date=2024-12-23 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020317084252/http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8000&More=Y \|archive-date=17 March 2002 }} ! colspan="2" \|2001{{cite web \|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Excel/2001/KS06%20%20(st).xls \|access-date=22 July 2014}}{{cite web \|title=Ethnic Group: KS06 (statistical geographies) \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Excel/2001/KS06%20%20(st).xls \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730020427/http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Excel/2001/KS06%20%20(st).xls\|archive-date=30 July 2014 \|access-date=22 July 2014}} ! colspan="2" \|2011{{cite web \|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS201NI.xls \|access-date=22 July 2014}}{{cite web \|title=Ethnic Group - Full Detail: QS201NI \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS201NI.xls\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141023054518/https://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS201NI.xls\|archive-date=23 October 2014 \|access-date=22 July 2014}} ! colspan="2" \|2021{{cite web \|title=Census 2021 Ethnic group - full detail MS-B02 \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2021-ms-b02.xlsx \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency \|access-date=31 May 2023}}{{Cite web \|title=Racial Equality (The Executive Office) \|url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?v=&d=PEOPLE&v=RACIAL_EQUALITY_TEO \|access-date=25 June 2023 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}}
\| \| \| \| \| \| \| \|
style="text-align:left" \| White: Total !– !99.8%	1,672,698	99.25%	1,779,750	98.28% !1,841,713 !96.77%
style="text-align:left" \| White \|– \|–	1,670,988	99.15%	1,778,449	98.21% \|– \|–
White: British/Irish/Northern Irish only (national identity) and Christian/no religion/religion not stated (religion) \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|1,749,970 \|91.9%
style="text-align:left" \| White: Other \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|87,607 \|4.6%
style="text-align:left" \| White: Irish Traveller/White Gypsy \|– \|–	1,710	0.10%	1,301	0.07% \|2,609 \|0.14%
style="text-align:left" \| White: Roma \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|1,529 \|0.08%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian or Asian British: Total !– !–	6,824	0.40%	19,130	1.06% !30,667 !1.61%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian/Asian British: Indian \|– \|–	1,567	0.09%	6,198	0.34%	9,881	0.52%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian/Asian British: Pakistani \|– \|–	668	0.04%	1,091	0.06%	1,596	0.08%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian/Asian British: Bangladeshi \|– \|–	252	0.01%	540	0.03%	710	0.04%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian/Asian British: Chinese \|– \|–	4,145	0.25%	6,303	0.35%	9,495	0.50%
style="text-align:left" \|Asian/Asian British: Filipino{{efn\|New category for the 2021 census}} \|– \|–	–	– \|2,053 \|0.11% \|4,451 \|0.23%
style="text-align:left" \| Asian/Asian British: Other Asian \|– \|–	194	0.01%	2,671	0.15%	4,534	0.24%
style="text-align:left" \| Black or Black British: Total !– !–	1,136	0.07%	3,616	0.20% !11,032 !0.58%
style="text-align:left" \| Black or Black British: Caribbean \|– \|–	255	0.02%	372	0.02% \|– \|–
style="text-align:left" \| Black or Black British: African \|– \|–	494	0.03%	2,345	0.13% \|8,069 \|0.42%
style="text-align:left" \| Black or Black British: Other \|– \|–	387	0.02%	899	0.05% \|2,963 \|0.16%
style="text-align:left" \| Mixed: Total !– !–	3,319	0.20%	6,014	0.33% !14,382 !0.76%
style="text-align:left" \| Other: Any other ethnic group:Total !– !–	1,290	0.08%	2,353	0.13% !5,385 !0.29%
style="text-align:left" \|Other: Arab{{efn\|Categorised within 'Other Asian' in the 2011 census}} \|– \|– \|– \|– \|274 \|0.02% \|1,817 \|0.10%
style="text-align:left" \|Other: Any other ethnic group \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|– \|3,568 \|0.19%
\| \| \| \| \| \| \| \|
style="text-align:left" \| Total !– !100%	1,685,267	100%	1,810,863	100% !1,903,179 !100%

File:White population pyramid in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|White

File:White British and Irish population pyramid in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|White British and Irish

File:White Other population pyramid in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|White Other

File:Ethnic minorities population pyramid in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|Ethnic minorities

File:Mixed population pyramid in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|Mixed

Languages spoken

{{main|Languages of Northern Ireland}}

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.

A question about knowledge of Irish was reintroduced to the census in 1991, for the first time since 1911. In 2011, the census question was modified to ask about Ulster Scots alongside Irish.{{cite journal | last1 = Cooley | first1 = Laurence | title = "It will do no more than annoy the protestants": the 1991 Northern Ireland census and the Irish language | journal = Nationalism and Ethnic Politics | date = 24 March 2022 | volume = 28 | issue = 3 | pages = 269–289 | issn = 1353-7113 | eissn = 1557-2986 | doi = 10.1080/13537113.2022.2052594 | pmid = | s2cid = 247723794 | url = | doi-access = free }}

Other languages.png|Foreign languages. Map showing the percentage of people whose main language was other than English or Irish (Gaeilge) in the 2021 census. Those stating Ulster Scots as their main language were negligible in number and not analysed geographically by NISRA.

Irish ability.png|Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Irish in the 2021 census

Ulster Scots ability.png|Percentage of people aged 3+ claiming to have some ability in Ulster Scots in the 2021 census

Main language of all usual residents aged 3 and over

Usual residents aged 3+	Proportion !Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" ! rowspan="2" \|Main language ! colspan="2" \|2011{{cite web \|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2111NI%20(a).ZIP \|access-date=22 July 2014}} ! colspan="2" \|2021{{Cite web \|date=7 September 2022 \|title=Census 2021 main statistics language tables \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-language-tables \|access-date=23 September 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency \|language=en}}
style="text-align:left" \| English	1,681,171	96.86% \|1,751,510 \|95.37%
style="text-align:left" \| Polish	17,731	1.02% \|20,134 \|1.10%
style="text-align:left" \| Lithuanian	6,250	0.36% \|8,978 \|0.49%
style="text-align:left" \| Irish	4,164	0.24% \|5,969 \|0.32%
style="text-align:left" \| Portuguese	2,293	0.13% \|4,982 \|0.27%
style="text-align:left" \| Slovak	2,257	0.13% \|2,333 \|0.13%
style="text-align:left" \| Chinese	2,214	0.13% \|3,329 \|0.18%
style="text-align:left" \| Tagalog/Filipino	1,895	0.11% \|1,339 \|0.07%
style="text-align:left" \| Latvian	1,273	0.07% \|1,700 \|0.09%
style="text-align:left" \| Russian	1,191	0.07% \|1,605 \|0.09%
style="text-align:left" \| Hungarian	1,008	0.06% \|2,172 \|0.12%
style="text-align:left" \| Other	13,090	0.75% \|28,293 \|1.5%
Total \| \| \|1,836,616 \|100%

Ability in Irish of all usual residents aged 3 and over in the Census{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS216NI.xls|access-date=22 July 2014}}{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service|url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/census/2001/uv/elb/uv099_elb.xls|access-date=22 July 2014|archive-date=1 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140401124939/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/census/2001/uv/elb/uv099_elb.xls|url-status=dead}}

Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion !Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion !Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" !rowspan=2\|Ability in Irish !colspan=2\|2001{{Cite web \|title=2001 Northern Irish Census \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/2001-census-results-key-statistics-report-tables.pdf \|access-date=19 October 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}} !colspan=2\|2011{{Cite web \|title=2011 Northern Irish Census \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/2011-census-results-key-statistics-northern-ireland-report-11-december-2012.pdf \|access-date=19 October 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}} ! colspan="2" \|2021
style="text-align:left"\| Understands spoken Irish, but cannot speak, read, or write	36,479	2.25%	70,501	4.06% \|90,801 \|4.94%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak but cannot read or write Irish	24,536	1.52%	24,677	1.43% \|37,497 \|2.04%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak and read but cannot write Irish	7,183	0.44%	7,414	0.43% \|9,683 \|0.53%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak, read, write, and understand Irish	75,125	4.64%	64,847	3.74% \|71,872 \|3.91%
style="text-align:left"\| Other combination of skills	24,167	1.49%	17,459	1.01% \|18,764 \|1.02%
style="text-align:left"\| Has some knowledge of Irish	167,490	10.35%	184,898	10.65% \|228,617 \|12.45%

Ability in Ulster Scots of all usual residents aged 3 and over in the Census{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS217NI.xls|access-date=22 July 2014}}

Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion !Usual residents aged 3+ !Proportion
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" !rowspan=2\|Ability in Ulster Scots !colspan=2\|2011{{Cite web \|date=11 December 2012 \|title=2011 Census - Key Statistics for Northern Ireland - Report \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/2011-census-results-key-statistics-northern-ireland-report-11-december-2012.pdf \|access-date=20 October 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}} ! colspan="2" \|2021
style="text-align:left"\| Understands spoken Ulster Scots, but cannot speak, read, or write	92,040	5.30% \|115,088 \|6.27%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak but cannot read or write Ulster Scots	10,265	0.59% \|26,570 \|1.45%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak and read but cannot write Ulster Scots	7,801	0.45% \|12,297 \|0.67%
style="text-align:left"\| Can speak, read, write, and understand Ulster Scots	16,373	0.94% \|20,930 \|1.14%
style="text-align:left"\| Other combination of skills	13,725	0.79% \|15,728 \|0.86%
style="text-align:left"\| Has some knowledge of Ulster Scots	140,204	8.08% \| 190,613 \|10.38%

Education

Northern Ireland has a highly educated and literate population, particularly among the younger generations.

The following shows the educational attainment, shown by highest qualification received, at different ages for adults, in the 2021 census{{cite web|title=Highest qualification by age 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=AGE_SYOA&v=UR_SEX&v=HIGHEST_QUALIFICATION&p=1|access-date=17 August 2024}}

Apprenticeships.png|Apprenticeships by age

No qualifications.png|No qualifications by age

The census defines the levels as follows:

Level 1: 1 to 4 GCSEs, O levels, CSEs (any grades); 1 AS Level; NVQ level 1; or equivalent
Level 2: 5 or more GCSEs (A*-C or 9–4), O levels (passes) CSEs (grade 1); 1 A level, 2-3 AS Levels; NVQ level 2, BTEC General, City and Guilds Craft; or equivalent
Level 3: 2 or more A Levels, 4 or more AS Levels; NVQ Level 3, BTEC National, OND, ONC, City and Guilds Advanced Craft; or equivalent
Level 4: Degree (BA, BSc), foundation degree, NVQ Level 4 and above, HND, HNC, professional qualifications (teaching or nursing, for example), or equivalent
Other: Other qualifications, equivalent unknown

Younger adults, aged 18–30, are the highest ever qualified group. Just under 50% of that age group who have reached university graduation age (around 23 years old) have achieved a Level 4 or above qualification. This is about 10% higher than those aged 30–40. The number of those without qualifications is the lowest in 18-30 group.

There is a large gender gap with 10% more females than males receiving Level 4 or above qualification. About 55% of women in their 20s have achieved Level 4.

The number of young adults with no qualifications is less than 8%, compared to an overall 23.8%. There has been a decrease in the number of people with apprenticeships from about 20% of males over 70 to only 5% for 20-30 year olds.

	Level 4	Level 3	Level 2	Level 1	Apprenticeship	Other	No Qualifications
class="wikitable" \|+ Overall educational attainment
Female	35.0%	15.7%	15.0%	6.0%	1.7%	2.7%	23.9%
Male	29.1%	16.2%	12.2%	5.8%	11.3%	1.7%	23.7%
All residents NI	32.1%	16.0%	13.6%	5.9%	6.4%	2.2%	23.8%
All residents England and Wales{{cite web\|title=England/Wales regions, highest qualification by age 2021 \|publisher=Office for National Statistics \|url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/create/filter-outputs/18c1e3c1-36a9-4686-800a-25a0dc8135ca#get-data\|access-date=30 November 2024}}	34.7%	17.3%	12.3%	9.6%	5.4%	2.8%	17.9%
20-30 year olds NI	41.7%	29.4%	12.2%	3.7%	3.3%	1.2%	8.5%
20-30 year olds England/Wales	40.1%	28.4%	11.7%	6.9%	4.4%	1.5%	7.0%

Compared to the UK regions in England and Wales, Northern Ireland has one of the highest percentages of those with a Level 4 qualification, with only London and southern England regions higher. However it also has the highest proportion of people with no qualifications. This is not entirely due to higher numbers of older people without qualifications. Even among the younger, more qualified, NI residents, Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of people with no qualifications.

Level 4 UK regions.png|Percentage of people with degree-level qualifications in England and Wales compared to Northern Ireland.

No qualifications UK regions.png|Percentage of people with no qualifications in England and Wales compared to Northern Ireland.

=Past censuses=

Questions about the highest academic qualification received has been asked since the 1991 census. The categorization of results has changed since 1991, but each prior census can be mapped to 2021 categories.

Apprenticeships were not tracked as separate categories in 1991 or 2001 and it is not certain whether they were counted as "No Qualifications". About 10% of those over 50 reported holding an apprenticeship in 2021. Currently apprenticeships have a large academic component, and are separated into "Intermediate", "Advanced," and "Higher" apprenticeships, and so are included as academic qualifications.{{cite web|title=What is an apprenticeship|date=24 August 2021 |publisher=UCAS |url=https://www.ucas.com/apprenticeships/what-apprenticeship|access-date=29 October 2024}}

Mapping the past results to the 2021 categories shows that the number of people with no qualifications has dropped considerably in each census, whereas the number of people with degrees or equivalent is nearly 4 times larger than in 1991.

	Level 4	Level 3	Level 2	Level 1	Apprenticeship	Other	No Qualifications
class="wikitable" \|+ Educational attainment in past censuses
1991{{cite web\|title=1991 Census Report\|publisher=NISRA \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/sites/nisra.gov.uk/files/publications/1991-census-religion-report.pdf\|access-date=29 October 2024}}	8.2%	7.2%	16.2%	3.5%	-	-	65.0%
2001{{cite web\|title=2011 Census Qualifications Report\|publisher=NISRA \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2011-ks501ni.xlsx\|access-date=29 October 2024}}	15.8%	9.0%	16.4%	17.2%	-	-	41.6%
2011{{cite web\|title=2001 Census Qualifications Report\|publisher=NISRA \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2001-uv026.xlsx\|access-date=29 October 2024}}	23.7%	12.3%	14.9%	11.5%	4.2%	4.3%	29.2%
2021	32.1%	16.0%	13.6%	5.9%	6.4%	2.2%	23.8%

Religion

Catholic percentage.png|Percentage of population whose Religious Background is Catholic

Protestant.png|Percentage of population whose Religious Background is Protestant

No Religion.png|Percentage of population who profess no religion

Religion 2021.png|Religious Background from the 2021 census{{see also|Religion in Northern Ireland|List of districts in Northern Ireland by religion or religion brought up in}}

Population pyramid of Northern Ireland by religion brought up in in 2021.svg|Population pyramid of Northern Ireland by religion brought up in 2021

Religion percent by age.png|Percentage by Religious Background at each age

Religion numbers by age.png|Population by Religious Background at each age

Religion by DEA in Northern Ireland in 2001.png|Religious Background in each Electoral Area 2001.{{cite web|title=Census 2001 Religious background|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2001-ks07b.xlsx|access-date=22 August 2024}} Protestants outnumbered Catholics in 46 out of the 80 Electoral Areas

Religion by DEA in Northern Ireland in 2011.png|Religious Background in each Electoral Area 2011.{{cite web|title=Census 2011 Religious background|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2011-ks211ni.xlsx|access-date=22 August 2024}} Protestants outnumbered Catholics in 44 out of the 80 Electoral Areas

Religion by DEA in Northern Ireland in 2021.png|Religious Background in each Electoral Area 2021.{{cite web|title=Census 2021 Religious background |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DEA14&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&p=1|access-date=19 September 2024}} Protestants outnumbered Catholics in 37 out of the 80 Electoral Areas

For the first century that Northern Ireland existed, the majority or plurality of its population identified with Protestantism, and with its founding, the region was intended to have a permanent Protestant majority.{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/22/catholics-outnumber-protestants-northern-ireland-census |last=Carroll |first=Rory |title=Catholics outnumber Protestants in Northern Ireland for first time |work=The Guardian |date=22 September 2022 |accessdate=23 September 2022 |language=en-GB }} With the 2021 census, Catholics outnumbered Protestants for the first time.

Northern Ireland is geographically polarized by religion. Catholics are concentrated in the west and border areas, and recently in Belfast. Protestants are concentrated in the east, in an east–west band across northern Armagh to northern Down, and north–south from the Antrim coast to north of Belfast. Belfast was once a majority Protestant city but became a Catholic plurality city between the 2001 and 2011 censuses.

The following table shows the religion stated by respondents to the 2001, 2011 and 2021 censuses.

scope="col" \|Number !scope="col" \|% !scope="col" \|Number !scope="col" \|% !scope="col" \|Number !scope="col" \|%
class="wikitable sortable" \|+Religious affiliation in Northern Ireland !scope="col" rowspan=2\|Religion stated !scope="col" colspan=2\|2001{{cite web\|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Winzip/2001/UV018%20(s).zip\|access-date=22 July 2014}} !scope="col" colspan=2\|2011{{cite web\|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/QS218NI.xls\|access-date=22 July 2014}} !scope="col" colspan="2" \|2021{{Cite web \|date=7 September 2022 \|title=Census 2021 main statistics religion tables \|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-religion-tables \|access-date=23 September 2022 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency \|language=en}}
Roman Catholic	style="text-align:right"\|678,462	style="text-align:right"\|40.2	style="text-align:right"\|738,033	style="text-align:right"\|40.8 \|805,151 \|42.3
Presbyterian Church in Ireland	style="text-align:right"\|348,742	style="text-align:right"\|20.7	style="text-align:right"\|345,101	style="text-align:right"\|19.1 \|316,103 \|16.6
Church of Ireland	style="text-align:right"\|257,788	style="text-align:right"\|15.3	style="text-align:right"\|248,821	style="text-align:right"\|13.7 \|219,788 \|11.5
Methodist Church in Ireland	style="text-align:right"\|59,173	style="text-align:right"\|3.5	style="text-align:right"\|54,253	style="text-align:right"\|3.0 \|44,728 \|2.4
Other Christian	style="text-align:right"\|102,221	style="text-align:right"\|6.1	style="text-align:right"\|104,380	style="text-align:right"\|5.8 \|130,377 \|6.9
(Total non-Roman Catholic Christian)	style="text-align:right" \|767,924	style="text-align:right" \|45.6	style="text-align:right" \|752,555	style="text-align:right" \|41.6 !710,996 !37.3
(Total Christian)	style="text-align:right" \|1,446,386	style="text-align:right" \|85.8	style="text-align:style="text-align:right" \|1,490,588	style="text-align:right" \|82.3 !1,516,147 !79.6
Other religion	style="text-align:right"\|5,028	style="text-align:right"\|0.3	style="text-align:right"\|14,859	style="text-align:right"\|0.8 \|25,519 \|1.3
No religion	style="text-align:right"\|	style="text-align:right"\|	style="text-align:right"\|183,164	style="text-align:right"\|10.1 \|330,983 \|17.4
Religion not stated	style="text-align:right"\|	style="text-align:right"\|	style="text-align:right"\|122,252	style="text-align:right"\|6.8 \|30,529 \|1.6
(No religion and Religion not stated)	style="text-align:right" \|233,853	style="text-align:right" \|13.9	style="text-align:right" \|305,416	style="text-align:right" \|16.9 !361,512 !19.0
Total population	style="text-align:right" \|1,685,267	style="text-align:right" \|100.0	style="text-align:right" \|1,810,863	style="text-align:right" \|100.0 !1,903,175 !100.0

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.

Catholic	Protestant and other Christian	Other or none	Catholic	Protestant and other Christian	Other or none !Catholic !Protestant and other Christian !No religion/not stated !Other
class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align:right" !rowspan="2"\|District !colspan="3"\|2001{{cite web\|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202001_Winzip/2001/CAS308%20(a).zip\|access-date=22 July 2014}} !colspan="3"\|2011{{cite web\|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service \|url=http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Winzip/2011/DC2114NI%20(a).ZIP\|access-date=22 July 2014}} ! colspan="4" \|2021{{Cite web \|title=Religion - 4 Categories \|url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=LGD93&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_AGG4&p=1 \|access-date=25 June 2023 \|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency}}
style="text-align:left"\| Antrim	35.2%	47.2%	17.6%	37.5%	43.2%	19.2% \|38.1% \|39.0% \|21.6% \|1.3%
style="text-align:left"\| Ards	10.4%	68.7%	20.9%	10.9%	65.4%	23.6% \|10.9% \|58.8% \|29.2% \|1.1%
style="text-align:left"\| Armagh	45.4%	45.5%	9.1%	44.8%	43.0%	12.2% \|46.4% \|41.1% \|11.7% \|0.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Ballymena	19.0%	67.8%	13.3%	20.4%	63.3%	16.3% \|21.3% \|58.4% \|19.5% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Ballymoney	29.5%	59.1%	11.3%	29.6%	56.7%	13.6% \|30.0% \|53.8% \|15.5% \|0.6%
style="text-align:left"\| Banbridge	28.6%	58.7%	12.7%	29.4%	55.3%	15.3% \|31.0% \|49.4% \|18.6% \|0.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Belfast	42.1%	40.3%	17.5%	41.9%	34.1%	24.0% \|42.5% \|29.7% \|24.5% \|3.3%
style="text-align:left"\| Carrickfergus	6.5%	70.4%	23.1%	7.6%	67.2%	25.2% \|7.6% \|59.5% \|31.8% \|1.2%
style="text-align:left"\| Castlereagh	15.8%	64.9%	19.3%	19.5%	57.3%	23.2% \|21.8% \|48.4% \|28.2% \|1.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Coleraine	24.1%	60.5%	15.4%	25.0%	56.8%	18.2% \|25.3% \|52.5% \|21.2% \|1.0%
style="text-align:left"\| Cookstown	55.2%	38.0%	6.8%	55.1%	34.0%	11.0% \|58.2% \|31.8% \|9.6% \|0.4%
style="text-align:left"\| Craigavon	41.7%	46.7%	11.6%	42.1%	42.1%	15.8% \|43.4% \|37.7% \|17.5% \|1.4%
style="text-align:left"\| Derry	70.9%	20.8%	8.4%	67.4%	19.4%	13.1% \|70.3% \|18.0% \|10.6% \|1.0%
style="text-align:left"\| Down	57.1%	29.2%	13.7%	57.5%	27.1%	15.4% \|58.4% \|24.8% \|16.2% \|0.6%
style="text-align:left"\| Dungannon	57.3%	34.9%	7.7%	58.7%	29.8%	11.5% \|62.6% \|26.9% \|9.9% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Fermanagh	55.5%	36.1%	8.4%	54.9%	34.3%	10.8% \|55.8% \|32.1% \|11.2% \|0.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Larne	22.2%	61.9%	15.9%	21.8%	59.7%	18.5% \|21.3% \|54.7% \|23.3% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Limavady	53.1%	36.1%	10.7%	56.0%	34.3%	9.7% \|57.5% \|31.7% \|10.5% \|0.3%
style="text-align:left"\| Lisburn	30.1%	53.6%	16.4%	32.8%	47.9%	19.3% \|35.2% \|41.8% \|21.6% \|1.4%
style="text-align:left"\| Magherafelt	61.5%	32.0%	6.5%	62.4%	28.3%	9.3% \|65.0% \|26.2% \|8.1% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Moyle	56.6%	33.8%	9.6%	54.4%	32.3%	13.3% \|54.3% \|32.1% \|13.1% \|0.5%
style="text-align:left"\| Newry and Mourne	75.9%	16.4%	7.7%	72.1%	15.2%	12.7% \|75.1% \|14.9% \|9.3% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Newtownabbey	17.1%	64.5%	18.4%	19.9%	57.8%	22.3% \|22.1% \|51.0% \|25.6% \|1.4%
style="text-align:left"\| North Down	10.0%	64.5%	25.5%	11.2%	60.3%	28.5% \|11.6% \|52.2% \|34.9% \|1.4%
style="text-align:left"\| Omagh	65.1%	26.3%	8.6%	65.4%	24.8%	9.8% \|67.7% \|22.9% \|8.8% \|0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Strabane	63.1%	30.9%	6.0%	60.1%	30.7%	9.2% \|63.0% \|29.5% \|7.0% \|0.5%

="Religion" vs "religion or religion Raised In" (religious background) =

File:Religion and Religion Raised in by age.png

The census included two questions related to religion: "what religion, religious denomination or body do you belong to?" and "what religion, religious denomination or body were you brought up in?"

This produced two sets of results, where the "current religion" is in all cases less than the "religion brought up in"

The difference between the two measurements is higher for Protestants than for Catholics, and is higher among younger people.

Geographically, using Religion instead of Religious Background does not change the areas where Catholic outnumber Protestants, or vice versa, but results in some regions where a majority turns into a plurality.

Current religion.png|Religious plurality or majority based on "religion belong to"{{cite web|title=Census 2021 Religion belong to|url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DEA14&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_AGG4&p=1|access-date=19 September 2024}}

Religion by DEA in Northern Ireland in 2021.png|Religious Background in each Electoral Area 2021.

National identity

File:Northern Ireland_National Identity 2021 20%25 bands.png|Map of predominant national identity in the 2021 census in Northern Ireland

National Identity by DEA.png|Predominant National Identity by District Electoral Area (DEA){{cite web|title=National identity by Census Data Zone 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DEA14&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&p=1|access-date=15 August 2024}}

National Identity 2011.png|Most commonly selected National Identity in 2011 census, based on 2011 Census "Small Areas". Combinations that include both British and Irish are excluded. "Other" consists of National Identity responses that do not include Irish, British, or Northern Irish in any combination.

NI most common national identity.png|Most commonly selected National Identity in 2021 census, based on 2021 Census "Data Zones" so cannot be directly compared to 2011{{cite web|title=National identity by Census Data Zone 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DZ21&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&p=1|access-date=13 August 2024}}

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.

In the 2021 census respondents gave their national identity as follows.

{{Bar chart

| title = 2021 Census {{Cite web |title=Northern Ireland Census Data |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=NAT_ID_1000|access-date=13 September 2024 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency }}

| label_type = National identity

| data_type = Respondents

| table_width = 55

| bar_width = 35

| width_units = em

| data_max = 700000

| label1 = British only

| data1 = 606,264 | comment1 = 31.86%

| label2 = Irish only

| data2 = 554,415 | comment2 = 29.13%

| label3 = Northern Irish only

| data3 = 376,444 | comment3 = 19.78%

| label4 = British and Northern Irish

| data4 = 151,328 | comment4 = 7.95%

| label5 = Irish and Northern Irish

| data5 = 33,580 | comment5 = 1.76%

| label6 = Other British, Irish, and/or Northern Irish

| data6 = 39,817| comment6 = 2.09%

| label7 = English, Scottish, or Welsh

| data7 = 40,697| comment7 = 2.14%

| label8 = Other

| data8 = 100,624 | comment8 = 5.29%

}}

File:British only identity in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|British only identity

File:Irish only identity in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|Irish only identity

File:Northern Irish only identity in Northern Ireland in 2021.svg|Northern Irish only identity

=National identity and religion=

National Identity by Religions breaks down as follows.{{cite web|title=National identity by religion 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&p=1|access-date=15 August 2024}} All tables, maps, and graphs in this section use "Religion or Religion brought up in" from the census.

Catholic	Protestant	Other	No Religion	All Residents
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" !rowspan="2"\|
style="text-align:left"\| British only	6.6%	57.8%	29.3%	35.5%	31.9%
style="text-align:left"\| British and Northern Irish only	0.8%	15.4%	3.9%	9.0%	8.0%
style="text-align:left"\| Irish only	60.0%	2.0%	8.8%	7.6%	29.1%
style="text-align:left"\| Irish and Northern Irish only	3.1%	0.4%	1.0%	1.5%	1.8%
style="text-align:left"\| Northern Irish only	20.9%	17.7%	9.9%	25.6%	19.8%
style="text-align:left"\| British and Irish only	0.7%	0.5%	1.1%	0.6%	0.6%
style="text-align:left"\| British, Irish and Northern Irish only	0.9%	1.9%	1.5%	2.3%	1.5%
style="text-align:left"\| Other	7.0%	4.4%	44.7%	18.0%	7.4%
style="text-align:left"\| British only plus British and Northern Irish only \|\| 7.4% \|\| 73.1% \|\| 33.2% \|\| 44.5% \|\| 39.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Irish only plus Irish and Northern Irish only \|\| 63.1% \|\| 2.4% \|\| 9.7% \|\| 9.0% \|\| 30.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Other combinations of British, Irish and Northern Irish \|\| 1.6% \|\| 2.4% \|\| 2.6% \|\| 2.9% \|\| 2.1%
style="text-align:left"\| Any choice that includes British \|\| 9.0% \|\| 75.5% \|\| 35.8% \|\| 47.4% \|\| 42.0%
style="text-align:left"\| Any choice that includes Irish \|\| 64.7% \|\| 4.8% \|\| 12.3% \|\| 11.9% \|\| 33.0%

File:Catholic Protestant low Irish British.png

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 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. However, the actual numbers are low for both those Protestants identifying as Irish and Catholics identifying as British, since it happens in areas where the respective religion is proportionally low.

In the 2021 census, Protestants outnumbered Catholics in 37 DEAs, down from 44 in 2011, while those considering themselves British outnumbered those who considered themselves Irish in 45 DEAs, down from 58 in 2011.

The majority of areas being British, despite the majority of areas being Catholic, is partly because Catholics were more likely to see themselves as British than Protestants were to see themselves as Irish (however this changed significantly between 2011 and 2021 - 9% vs. 4.8% respectively – in 2011 it was 13% vs 4% respectively), but is also partly because those of no religion were more likely to see themselves as British as see themselves as Irish. The non-religious tend to live in Protestant areas, suggesting that they are mostly of Protestant descent. In 2021, 47% of those professing no religion considered themselves British, while 12% considered themselves Irish. Members of the immigrant population, which includes many Poles, are also more likely to consider themselves Catholic.

Northern Irish identity was slightly more likely amongst Catholics than amongst Protestants, and it varied little according to geography.

Protestant British.png|Percentage of Protestants identifying as British

File:Protestant Irish.png|Percentage of Protestants identifying as Irish

File:Protestant Northern Irish.png|Percentage of Protestants identifying as Northern Irish

Catholic British.png|Percentage of Catholics identifying as British

Catholic Irish.png|Percentage of Catholics identifying as Irish

Catholic Northern Ireland.png|Percentage of Catholics identifying as Northern Irish

No religion British.png|Percentage of professing no religion identifying as British

No religion Irish.png|Percentage of those professing no religion identifying as Irish

No Religion Northern Irish.png|Percentage of those professing no religion identifying as Northern Irish

=Changes from 2011 to 2021=

National Identity in Northern Ireland by Electoral Area 2011.png|National Identity in Northern Ireland by Electoral Area 2011. British outnumbered Irish in 58 out of the 80 Electoral Areas.{{cite web|title=National identity by DEA 2011 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2011-ks202ni.xlsx|access-date=13 August 2024}} British is total of British Only plus British and Northern Irish, Irish is total of Irish Only plus Irish and Northern Irish

National Identity in Northern Ireland by Electoral Area 2021.png|National Identity in Northern Ireland by Electoral Area 2021. British outnumbered Irish in 45 out of the 80 Electoral Areas{{cite web|title=National identity by DEA 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=DEA14&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&p=1|access-date=13 August 2024}}

File:Change in Irish Identity Relative to British Identity.png|Swing from British to Irish identity by DEA (2014) from 2011 to 2021 censuses

File:National identity by age 2011-2021.png|National identity by age in 2011 (solid line) and 2021 (dotted line) showing a narrowing in the gap from 2011{{cite web|title=National identity by age group 2011 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/census/2011/census-2011-dc2105ni-administrative-geographies.zip|access-date=12 August 2024}}{{cite web|title=National identity by age group 2021 |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=AGE_BAND_AGG8&v=NAT_ID_BASIC&p=1|access-date=12 August 2024}}

The following metrics account for over 90% of the population in both 2011 and 2021. National Identity showed a large shift from British to Irish of 10% between 2011 and 2021.

2011	2021	Change
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" !rowspan="2"\|
style="text-align:left"\| British Only	39.9%	31.9%	-8.0%
style="text-align:left"\| British And Northern Irish	6.2%	8.0%	+1.8%
style="text-align:left"\| Irish Only	25.3%	29.1%	+3.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Irish And Northern Irish	1.1%	1.8%	+0.7%
style="text-align:left"\| Northern Irish Only	20.9%	19.8%	-1.1%

All DEAs showed an increase in Irish National Identity relative to British, with the lowest increase (3%) in the Court DEA, and the largest increase (22%) in the Castlereagh South DEA. Generally the largest increases were in the east, in and around Belfast.

Between 2011 and 2021, Catholics seeing themselves as British fell from 13% to 9%, while Protestants seeing themselves as Irish increased from 4% to 4.8%.

The shift from British to Irish can be seen from the plot comparing the age groups from the 2011 census with the same age cohort in the 2021 census. There was a swing towards Irish across all age cohorts, but it was 12-13% among younger adults (under 35 in 2021), approximately 2-6% among 35-64 (in 2021) year olds, and a much smaller 0.8% in the oldest age cohort.

File:Predominant passport held northern ireland.png|The most commonly held passport according to the 2011 census. 1,070,413 British and 375,826 Irish passports were held.{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/system/files/statistics/census-2011-ks205ni.xlsx|access-date=8 September 2024}}

File:Passports.png|The most commonly held passport according to the 2021 census. 1,000,207 British and 614,251 Irish passports were held.{{cite web|title=Passports Held|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=PASSPORTS_HELD_BASIC|access-date=12 August 2024}}

People born in Northern Ireland have automatic British citizenship on the same basis and with the same provisions as those born elsewhere in the United Kingdom. Despite the Irish Government's withdrawal of its constitutional claim to Northern Ireland in 1999, those born in Northern Ireland are entitled to Irish citizenship, should they so choose. Because of this entitlement most people in Northern Ireland are able to get both a British passport and an Irish Passport. Through an agreement between the Irish Government and Post Office Ltd, post offices in Northern Ireland provide a service where customers can apply for an Irish passport, alongside their service where customers can apply for a British passport.

Significantly more Irish passports (+11.4%) and fewer British passports (-6.5%) were held in 2021 compared to 2011. Catholics in particular gave up their British passports (-10.9%) and now hold Irish passports (+16.7%), but there was also a small drop in the percentage of Protestants with British passports (-0.4%) and large increase in Protestants with Irish passports (+6.5%). Similarly "Other" and "No religion" British passport holders fell by 8.3% and 4.9% respectively, and Irish passport holder increased by 5.6% and 6.9% respectively.

In the 2021 census, respondents stated that they held the following passports,{{cite web|title=Passports Held - 18 Categories by Religion or Religion Brought Up In |publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency |url=https://build.nisra.gov.uk/en/custom/data?d=PEOPLE&v=PASSPORTS_HELD_AGG18&v=RELIGION_BELONG_TO_OR_BROUGHT_UP_IN_DVO&p=1|access-date=12 August 2024}} compared to 2011.{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/census/2011/census-2011-dc2250ni-administrative-geographies.zip|access-date=8 September 2024}}{{cite web|title=Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service |url=https://datavis.nisra.gov.uk/census/2011/census-2011-dc2252ni-administrative-geographies.zip|access-date=8 September 2024}}

colspan="2"\|Catholic	colspan="2" \|Protestant and other Christian	colspan="2" \|Other Religions	colspan="2" \|None
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right" !rowspan="3"\|Passport !rowspan="2" ! colspan ="2"\|All usual residents !colspan="8"\|Religion or religion brought up in
2021	Change	2021	Change	2021	Change	2021	Change	2021	Change
style="text-align:left"\| No passport	15.9%	-3.0%	15.1%	-4.1%	16.0%	-2.5%	12.5%	-6.0%	19.6%	-0.6%
style="text-align:left"\| EU/EEA Countries	83.0%	+0.9%	84.3%	+1.9%	83.5%	+1.1%	64.8%	-4.5%	77.6%	-0.8%
style="text-align:left"\| United Kingdom	52.6%	-6.5%	27.5%	-10.9%	77.4%	-0.4%	47.7%	-8.3%	60.3%	-4.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Ireland	32.3%	+11.4%	57.2%	+16.7%	10.6%	+6.5%	15.6%	+5.6%	14.1%	+6.9%
style="text-align:left"\| Poland	1.3%	+0.3%	2.4%	0.4%	0.1%	0.0%	0.7%	+0.1%	0.9%	0.0%
style="text-align:left"\| Lithuania	0.6%	+0.2%	1.0%	+0.3%	0.1%	+0.1%	0.4%	+0.2%	1.2%	+0.4%
style="text-align:left"\| Other EU/EEA	1.9%	+1.1%	1.5%	+0.6%	1.3%	+0.9%	5.5%	+3.1%	5.7%	+1.5%
style="text-align:left"\| Other	1.1%	-0.1%	0.5%	-0.4%	0.6%	-0.1%	22.7%	-3.3%	2.8%	-0.7%

The following table shows the number of passport applications from within Northern Ireland since the 2021 census. 2024 numbers are up to 26 August 2024, and are not yet available broken down into first time or renewals.

In 2022, 34.8% of Irish passport applications were first time applications. In 2023 this rose to 38.2% of applications.

Year	First time applications Online	Renewals Online	Postal Applications \|\| Total
class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" \|+ Irish passport applications from Northern Ireland
2021{{cite news\|title=More Irish than UK passports issued in Northern Ireland for first time\|newspaper=The Irish Times \|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/more-irish-than-uk-passports-issued-in-northern-ireland-for-first-time-1.4867712\|access-date=8 September 2024}}				56,700
2022{{cite web\|title=Passport Service Press Release 2022 \|url=https://www.dfa.ie/media/dfa/passport/generic/End-of-Year-Passport-Service-Press-Release-for-Media-2022-FINAL.pdf\|access-date=8 September 2024}}	32,719	61,423	16,730	110,872
2023{{cite web\|title=Passport Service Interesting Facts 2023\|url=https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/280045/8c64da93-2965-4591-a48e-f573e4cf74d1.pdf\|access-date=8 September 2024}}	33,849	54,858	14,897	103,604
2024{{cite web\|title=Renewed call for Irish Passport Office to open in Northern Ireland after 'milestone year'\|date=4 January 2025\|url=https://www.msn.com/en-gb/travel/news/renewed-call-for-irish-passport-office-to-open-in-northern-ireland-after-milestone-year/ar-AA1wXZKv\|access-date=15 March 2025}}				117,998

Age

File:Northern Ireland population pyramid from 1971 to projections to 2050.gif

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.[http://www.nisra.gov.uk/Census/key_stats_bulletin_2011.pdf Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland Statistics Bulletin December 2012], Accessed 22 December 2012

File:Ards and North Down 2021 population pyramid.svg|Ards and North Down

File:Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon 2021 population pyramid.svg|Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon

File:Antrim and Newtownabbey 2021 population pyramid.svg|Antrim and Newtownabbey

File:Belfast population pyramid.svg|Belfast

File:Causeway Coast and Glens 2021 population pyramid.svg|Causeway Coast and Glens

File:Derry City and Strabane 2021 population pyramid.svg|Derry City and Strabane

File:Fermanagh and Omagh 2021 population pyramid.svg|Fermanagh and Omagh

File:Mid and East Antrim population pyramid.svg|Mid and East Antrim

File:Mid Ulster 2021 population pyramid.svg|Mid Ulster

File:Newry, Mourne and Down population pyramid.svg|Newry, Mourne and Down

File:Lisburn and Castlereagh 2021 population pyramid.svg|Lisburn and Castlereagh

Vital statistics

=Vital statistics since 1900=

class="wikitable sortable"

! width="80pt"|Average population B.R. Mitchell. European historical statistics, 1750–1975{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dybsets/1948%20DYB.pdf|title=United Nations. Demographic Yearbook 1948|website=Unstats.un.org|access-date=3 October 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/demography/default.asp2.htm|title=Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-date=29 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829233244/http://www.nisra.gov.uk//demography//default.asp2.htm|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/publications/annual_reports/2014/Appendix1.pdf|title=Population and vital events, 1926-2014|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|access-date=3 October 2017|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192743/http://www.nisra.gov.uk/archive/demography/publications/annual_reports/2014/Appendix1.pdf|url-status=dead}}

! width="80pt"|Live births

! width="80pt"|Deaths

! width="80pt"|Natural change

! width="80pt"|Crude birth rate (per 1000)

! width="80pt"|Crude death rate (per 1000)

! width="80pt"|Natural change (per 1000)

! width="80pt"|Total fertility rate

1901

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 30,782

| style="text-align:right" | 23,954

| style="text-align:right" | 6,828

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1902

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 30,707

| style="text-align:right" | 23,171

| style="text-align:right" | 7,536

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1903

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 31,290

| style="text-align:right" | 23,096

| style="text-align:right" | 8,194

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1904

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 31,550

| style="text-align:right" | 23,536

| style="text-align:right" | 8,014

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1905

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 31,405

| style="text-align:right" | 22,949

| style="text-align:right" | 8,456

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1906

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 31,389

| style="text-align:right" | 23,039

| style="text-align:right" | 8,350

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1907

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 30,969

| style="text-align:right" | 23,754

| style="text-align:right" | 7,215

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1908

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 30,600

| style="text-align:right" | 23,133

| style="text-align:right" | 7,467

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1909

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" | 30,640

| style="text-align:right" | 22,275

| style="text-align:right" | 8,365

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

| style="text-align:right" |

1910

| style="text-align:right" | 1,246,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,219

| style="text-align:right" | 22,576

| style="text-align:right" | 7,643

| style="text-align:right" | 24.3

| style="text-align:right" | 18.1

| style="text-align:right" | 6.1

1911

| style="text-align:right" | 1,249,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,407

| style="text-align:right" | 21,326

| style="text-align:right" | 9,081

| style="text-align:right" | 24.3

| style="text-align:right" | 17.1

| style="text-align:right" | 7.3

1912

| style="text-align:right" | 1,248,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,301

| style="text-align:right" | 21,698

| style="text-align:right" | 8,603

| style="text-align:right" | 24.3

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 6.9

1913

| style="text-align:right" | 1,243,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,880

| style="text-align:right" | 22,510

| style="text-align:right" | 7,370

| style="text-align:right" | 24.0

| style="text-align:right" | 18.1

| style="text-align:right" | 5.9

1914

| style="text-align:right" | 1,242,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,704

| style="text-align:right" | 21,671

| style="text-align:right" | 8,033

| style="text-align:right" | 23.9

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 6.5

1915

| style="text-align:right" | 1,210,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,082

| style="text-align:right" | 22,438

| style="text-align:right" | 5,644

| style="text-align:right" | 23.2

| style="text-align:right" | 18.5

| style="text-align:right" | 4.7

1916

| style="text-align:right; color: red"| 1,205,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,623

| style="text-align:right" | 20,764

| style="text-align:right" | 5,859

| style="text-align:right" | 22.1

| style="text-align:right" | 17.2

| style="text-align:right" | 4.9

1917

| style="text-align:right" | 1,208,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,949

| style="text-align:right" | 21,011

| style="text-align:right" | 3,938

| style="text-align:right" | 20.7

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 3.3

1918

| style="text-align:right" | 1,214,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,212

| style="text-align:right; color: red"| 25,013

| style="text-align:right" | 1,199

| style="text-align:right" | 21.6

| style="text-align:right; color: red"| 20.6

| style="text-align:right" | 1.0

1919

| style="text-align:right" | 1,250,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,496

| style="text-align:right" | 22,836

| style="text-align:right" | 4,660

| style="text-align:right" | 22.0

| style="text-align:right" | 18.2

| style="text-align:right" | 3.8

1920

| style="text-align:right" | 1,258,000

| style="text-align:right" | 32,521

| style="text-align:right" | 21,017

| style="text-align:right" | 11,504

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 25.8

| style="text-align:right" | 16.7

| style="text-align:right" | 9.1

1921

| style="text-align:right" | 1,264,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,710

| style="text-align:right" | 19,301

| style="text-align:right" | 10,409

| style="text-align:right" | 23.7

| style="text-align:right" | 15.4

| style="text-align:right" | 8.3

1922

| style="text-align:right" | 1,269,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,531

| style="text-align:right" | 19,795

| style="text-align:right" | 9,736

| style="text-align:right" | 23.2

| style="text-align:right" | 15.6

| style="text-align:right" | 7.6

1923

| style="text-align:right" | 1,259,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,097

| style="text-align:right" | 18,790

| style="text-align:right" | 11,307

| style="text-align:right" | 23.9

| style="text-align:right" | 14.9

| style="text-align:right" | 9.1

1924

| style="text-align:right" | 1,258,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,496

| style="text-align:right" | 20,299

| style="text-align:right" | 8,197

| style="text-align:right" | 22.7

| style="text-align:right" | 16.1

| style="text-align:right" | 6.5

1925

| style="text-align:right" | 1,257,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,686

| style="text-align:right" | 19,784

| style="text-align:right" | 7,902

| style="text-align:right" | 22.0

| style="text-align:right" | 15.8

| style="text-align:right" | 6.3

1926

| style="text-align:right" | 1,254,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,162

| style="text-align:right" | 18,827

| style="text-align:right" | 9,335

| style="text-align:right" | 22.5

| style="text-align:right" | 15.1

| style="text-align:right" | 7.4

1927

| style="text-align:right" | 1,250,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,676

| style="text-align:right" | 18,216

| style="text-align:right" | 8,460

| style="text-align:right" | 21.4

| style="text-align:right" | 14.6

| style="text-align:right" | 6.8

1928

| style="text-align:right" | 1,247,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,963

| style="text-align:right" | 18,004

| style="text-align:right" | 7,959

| style="text-align:right" | 20.9

| style="text-align:right" | 14.4

| style="text-align:right" | 6.4

1929

| style="text-align:right" | 1,240,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,410

| style="text-align:right" | 19,822

| style="text-align:right" | 5,588

| style="text-align:right" | 20.5

| style="text-align:right" | 16.0

| style="text-align:right" | 4.4

1930

| style="text-align:right" | 1,237,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,879

| style="text-align:right" | 17,148

| style="text-align:right" | 8,731

| style="text-align:right" | 20.9

| style="text-align:right" | 13.9

| style="text-align:right" | 7.0

1931

| style="text-align:right" | 1,243,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,673

| style="text-align:right" | 18,049

| style="text-align:right" | 7,624

| style="text-align:right" | 20.7

| style="text-align:right" | 14.5

| style="text-align:right" | 6.2

1932

| style="text-align:right" | 1,251,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,107

| style="text-align:right" | 17,812

| style="text-align:right" | 7,295

| style="text-align:right" | 20.1

| style="text-align:right" | 14.2

| style="text-align:right" | 5.8

1933

| style="text-align:right" | 1,258,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,601

| style="text-align:right" | 18,154

| style="text-align:right" | 6,447

| style="text-align:right" | 19.6

| style="text-align:right" | 14.5

| style="text-align:right" | 5.1

1934

| style="text-align:right" | 1,265,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,365

| style="text-align:right" | 17,521

| style="text-align:right" | 7,844

| style="text-align:right" | 20.1

| style="text-align:right" | 13.9

| style="text-align:right" | 6.2

1935

| style="text-align:right" | 1,271,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,742

| style="text-align:right" | 18,592

| style="text-align:right" | 6,150

| style="text-align:right" | 19.5

| style="text-align:right" | 14.6

| style="text-align:right" | 4.8

1936

| style="text-align:right" | 1,276,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,909

| style="text-align:right" | 18,429

| style="text-align:right" | 7,480

| style="text-align:right" | 20.3

| style="text-align:right" | 14.4

| style="text-align:right" | 5.9

1937

| style="text-align:right" | 1,281,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,412

| style="text-align:right" | 19,282

| style="text-align:right" | 6,130

| style="text-align:right" | 19.8

| style="text-align:right" | 15.1

| style="text-align:right" | 4.8

1938

| style="text-align:right" | 1,286,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,742

| style="text-align:right" | 17,649

| style="text-align:right" | 8,093

| style="text-align:right" | 20.0

| style="text-align:right" | 13.7

| style="text-align:right" | 6.3

1939

| style="text-align:right" | 1,295,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,240

| style="text-align:right" | 17,542

| style="text-align:right" | 7,698

| style="text-align:right" | 19.5

| style="text-align:right" | 13.5

| style="text-align:right" | 5.9

1940

| style="text-align:right" | 1,299,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,363

| style="text-align:right" | 18,941

| style="text-align:right" | 6,422

| style="text-align:right" | 19.5

| style="text-align:right" | 14.6

| style="text-align:right" | 4.9

1941

| style="text-align:right" | 1,308,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,887

| style="text-align:right" | 20,034

| style="text-align:right" | 6,853

| style="text-align:right" | 20.6

| style="text-align:right" | 15.3

| style="text-align:right" | 5.2

1942

| style="text-align:right" | 1,329,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,645

| style="text-align:right" | 17,570

| style="text-align:right" | 12,075

| style="text-align:right" | 22.3

| style="text-align:right" | 13.2

| style="text-align:right" | 9.1

1943

| style="text-align:right" | 1,341,000

| style="text-align:right" | 31,521

| style="text-align:right" | 17,720

| style="text-align:right" | 13,801

| style="text-align:right" | 23.5

| style="text-align:right" | 13.2

| style="text-align:right" | 10.3

1944

| style="text-align:right" | 1,357,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,900

| style="text-align:right" | 16,980

| style="text-align:right" | 13,920

| style="text-align:right" | 22.8

| style="text-align:right" | 12.5

| style="text-align:right" | 10.3

1945

| style="text-align:right" | 1,359,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,007

| style="text-align:right" | 16,432

| style="text-align:right" | 12,575

| style="text-align:right" | 21.3

| style="text-align:right" | 12.1

| style="text-align:right" | 9.3

1946

| style="text-align:right" | 1,350,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,134

| style="text-align:right" | 16,706

| style="text-align:right" | 13,428

| style="text-align:right" | 22.3

| style="text-align:right" | 12.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.9

1947

| style="text-align:right" | 1,350,000

| style="text-align:right" | 31,254

| style="text-align:right" | 16,944

| style="text-align:right" | 14,310

| style="text-align:right" | 23.2

| style="text-align:right" | 12.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

1948

| style="text-align:right" | 1,362,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,532

| style="text-align:right" | 15,145

| style="text-align:right" | 14,387

| style="text-align:right" | 21.7

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

1949

| style="text-align:right" | 1,371,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,106

| style="text-align:right" | 15,670

| style="text-align:right" | 13,436

| style="text-align:right" | 21.2

| style="text-align:right" | 11.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.8

1950

| style="text-align:right" | 1,377,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,794

| style="text-align:right" | 15,839

| style="text-align:right" | 12,955

| style="text-align:right" | 20.9

| style="text-align:right" | 11.5

| style="text-align:right" | 9.4

1951

| style="text-align:right" | 1,373,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,477

| style="text-align:right" | 17,628

| style="text-align:right" | 10,849

| style="text-align:right" | 20.7

| style="text-align:right" | 12.8

| style="text-align:right" | 7.9

1952

| style="text-align:right" | 1,375,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,760

| style="text-align:right" | 14,812

| style="text-align:right" | 13,948

| style="text-align:right" | 20.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

| style="text-align:right" | 10.1

1953

| style="text-align:right" | 1,384,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,984

| style="text-align:right" | 14,813

| style="text-align:right" | 14,171

| style="text-align:right" | 20.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.7

| style="text-align:right" | 10.2

1954

| style="text-align:right" | 1,387,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,803

| style="text-align:right" | 15,124

| style="text-align:right" | 13,679

| style="text-align:right" | 20.8

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

| style="text-align:right" | 9.9

1955

| style="text-align:right" | 1,394,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,965

| style="text-align:right" | 15,407

| style="text-align:right" | 13,558

| style="text-align:right" | 20.8

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

| style="text-align:right" | 9.7

1956

| style="text-align:right" | 1,397,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,489

| style="text-align:right" | 14,858

| style="text-align:right" | 14,631

| style="text-align:right" | 21.1

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.5

1957

| style="text-align:right" | 1,399,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,108

| style="text-align:right" | 15,187

| style="text-align:right" | 14,921

| style="text-align:right" | 21.5

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.7

1958

| style="text-align:right" | 1,402,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,301

| style="text-align:right" | 15,132

| style="text-align:right" | 15,169

| style="text-align:right" | 21.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

1959

| style="text-align:right" | 1,408,000

| style="text-align:right" | 30,809

| style="text-align:right" | 15,403

| style="text-align:right" | 15,406

| style="text-align:right" | 21.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

1960

| style="text-align:right" | 1,420,000

| style="text-align:right" | 31,989

| style="text-align:right" | 15,296

| style="text-align:right" | 16,693

| style="text-align:right" | 22.5

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

| style="text-align:right" | 11.8

1961

| style="text-align:right" | 1,427,000

| style="text-align:right" | 31,915

| style="text-align:right" | 16,108

| style="text-align:right" | 15,807

| style="text-align:right" | 22.4

| style="text-align:right" | 11.3

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

1962

| style="text-align:right" | 1,435,000

| style="text-align:right" | 32,565

| style="text-align:right" | 15,226

| style="text-align:right" | 17,339

| style="text-align:right" | 22.7

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

| style="text-align:right" | 12.1

1963

| style="text-align:right" | 1,446,000

| style="text-align:right" | 33,414

| style="text-align:right" | 15,899

| style="text-align:right" | 17,515

| style="text-align:right" | 23.1

| style="text-align:right" | 11.0

| style="text-align:right" | 12.1

1964

| style="text-align:right" | 1,458,000

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 34,345

| style="text-align:right" | 15,354

| style="text-align:right" | 18,991

| style="text-align:right" | 23.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.5

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 13.0

1965

| style="text-align:right" | 1,469,000

| style="text-align:right" | 33,890

| style="text-align:right" | 15,551

| style="text-align:right" | 18,339

| style="text-align:right" | 23.1

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

| style="text-align:right" | 12.5

1966

| style="text-align:right" | 1,478,000

| style="text-align:right" | 33,228

| style="text-align:right" | 16,441

| style="text-align:right" | 16,787

| style="text-align:right" | 22.5

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

| style="text-align:right" | 11.4

1967

| style="text-align:right" | 1,491,000

| style="text-align:right" | 33,415

| style="text-align:right" | 14,671

| style="text-align:right" | 18,744

| style="text-align:right" | 22.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.8

| style="text-align:right" | 12.6

1968

| style="text-align:right" | 1,502,000

| style="text-align:right" | 33,173

| style="text-align:right" | 15,933

| style="text-align:right" | 17,240

| style="text-align:right" | 22.1

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

| style="text-align:right" | 11.5

1969

| style="text-align:right" | 1,513,000

| style="text-align:right" | 32,428

| style="text-align:right" | 16,338

| style="text-align:right" | 16,090

| style="text-align:right" | 21.4

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

1970

| style="text-align:right" | 1,525,000

| style="text-align:right" | 32,086

| style="text-align:right" | 16,551

| style="text-align:right" | 15,535

| style="text-align:right" | 21.0

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

| style="text-align:right" | 10.2

1971

| style="text-align:right" | 1,540,000

| style="text-align:right" | 31,765

| style="text-align:right" | 16,202

| style="text-align:right" | 15,563

| style="text-align:right" | 20.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.5

| style="text-align:right" | 10.1

1972

| style="text-align:right" | 1,539,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,994

| style="text-align:right" | 17,032

| style="text-align:right" | 12,962

| style="text-align:right" | 19.5

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

| style="text-align:right" | 8.4

1973

| style="text-align:right" | 1,530,000

| style="text-align:right" | 29,200

| style="text-align:right" | 17,669

| style="text-align:right" | 11,531

| style="text-align:right" | 19.1

| style="text-align:right" | 11.5

| style="text-align:right" | 7.5

1974

| style="text-align:right" | 1,527,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,160

| style="text-align:right" | 17,327

| style="text-align:right" | 9,833

| style="text-align:right" | 17.8

| style="text-align:right" | 11.3

| style="text-align:right" | 6.4

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1975

| style="text-align:right" | 1,524,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,130

| style="text-align:right" | 16,511

| style="text-align:right" | 9,619

| style="text-align:right" | 17.2

| style="text-align:right" | 10.8

| style="text-align:right" | 6.4

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1976

| style="text-align:right" | 1,524,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,361

| style="text-align:right" | 17,030

| style="text-align:right" | 9,331

| style="text-align:right" | 17.3

| style="text-align:right" | 11.2

| style="text-align:right" | 6.1

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1977

| style="text-align:right" | 1,523,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,437

| style="text-align:right" | 16,921

| style="text-align:right" | 8,516

| style="text-align:right" | 16.7

| style="text-align:right" | 11.1

| style="text-align:right" | 5.6

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1978

| style="text-align:right" | 1,523,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,239

| style="text-align:right" | 16,153

| style="text-align:right" | 10,086

| style="text-align:right" | 17.2

| style="text-align:right" | 10.6

| style="text-align:right" | 6.6

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1979

| style="text-align:right" | 1,528,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,178

| style="text-align:right" | 16,811

| style="text-align:right" | 11,367

| style="text-align:right" | 18.4

| style="text-align:right" | 11.0

| style="text-align:right" | 7.4

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1980

| style="text-align:right" | 1,533,000

| style="text-align:right" | 28,582

| style="text-align:right" | 16,835

| style="text-align:right" | 11,747

| style="text-align:right" | 18.6

| style="text-align:right" | 11.0

| style="text-align:right" | 7.7

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"|

1981

| style="text-align:right" | 1,543,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,166

| style="text-align:right" | 16,256

| style="text-align:right" | 10,910

| style="text-align:right" | 17.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.5

| style="text-align:right" | 7.1

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.79

1982

| style="text-align:right" | 1,545,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,872

| style="text-align:right" | 15,918

| style="text-align:right" | 10,954

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 10.3

| style="text-align:right" | 7.1

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.59

1983

| style="text-align:right" | 1,551,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,026

| style="text-align:right" | 16,039

| style="text-align:right" | 10,987

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 10.3

| style="text-align:right" | 7.1

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.53

1984

| style="text-align:right" | 1,557,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,477

| style="text-align:right" | 15,692

| style="text-align:right" | 11,785

| style="text-align:right" | 17.6

| style="text-align:right" | 10.1

| style="text-align:right" | 7.5

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.51

1985

| style="text-align:right" | 1,565,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,427

| style="text-align:right" | 15,955

| style="text-align:right" | 11,472

| style="text-align:right" | 17.5

| style="text-align:right" | 10.2

| style="text-align:right" | 7.3

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.50

1986

| style="text-align:right" | 1,574,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,975

| style="text-align:right" | 16,065

| style="text-align:right" | 11,910

| style="text-align:right" | 17.8

| style="text-align:right" | 10.2

| style="text-align:right" | 7.6

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.45

1987

| style="text-align:right" | 1,582,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,653

| style="text-align:right" | 15,334

| style="text-align:right" | 12,319

| style="text-align:right" | 17.5

| style="text-align:right" | 9.7

| style="text-align:right" | 7.8

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.44

1988

| style="text-align:right" | 1,585,000

| style="text-align:right" | 27,514

| style="text-align:right" | 15,813

| style="text-align:right" | 11,701

| style="text-align:right" | 17.4

| style="text-align:right" | 10.0

| style="text-align:right" | 7.4

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.39

1989

| style="text-align:right" | 1,590,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,831

| style="text-align:right" | 15,844

| style="text-align:right" | 9,987

| style="text-align:right" | 16.2

| style="text-align:right" | 10.0

| style="text-align:right" | 6.2

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.35

1990

| style="text-align:right" | 1,596,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,251

| style="text-align:right" | 15,426

| style="text-align:right" | 10,825

| style="text-align:right" | 16.5

| style="text-align:right" | 9.7

| style="text-align:right" | 6.8

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.19

1991

| style="text-align:right" | 1,607,000

| style="text-align:right" | 26,028

| style="text-align:right" | 15,096

| style="text-align:right" | 10,932

| style="text-align:right" | 16.2

| style="text-align:right" | 9.4

| style="text-align:right" | 6.9

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.21

1992

| style="text-align:right" | 1,623,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,354

| style="text-align:right" | 14,988

| style="text-align:right" | 10,366

| style="text-align:right" | 15.6

| style="text-align:right" | 9.2

| style="text-align:right" | 6.4

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 2.16

1993

| style="text-align:right" | 1,636,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,722

| style="text-align:right" | 15,633

| style="text-align:right" | 9,089

| style="text-align:right" | 15.1

| style="text-align:right" | 9.6

| style="text-align:right" | 5.5

| style="text-align:right" | 2.08

1994

| style="text-align:right" | 1,644,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,098

| style="text-align:right" | 15,114

| style="text-align:right" | 8,984

| style="text-align:right" | 14.7

| style="text-align:right" | 9.2

| style="text-align:right" | 5.5

| style="text-align:right" | 2.01

1995

| style="text-align:right" | 1,649,000

| style="text-align:right" | 23,693

| style="text-align:right" | 15,310

| style="text-align:right" | 8,383

| style="text-align:right" | 14.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.3

| style="text-align:right" | 5.1

| style="text-align:right" | 1.95

1996

| style="text-align:right" | 1,662,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,382

| style="text-align:right" | 15,218

| style="text-align:right" | 9,164

| style="text-align:right" | 14.7

| style="text-align:right" | 9.2

| style="text-align:right" | 5.5

| style="text-align:right" | 1.91

1997

| style="text-align:right" | 1,671,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,087

| style="text-align:right" | 14,971

| style="text-align:right" | 9,116

| style="text-align:right" | 14.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.0

| style="text-align:right" | 5.4

| style="text-align:right" | 1.95

1998

| style="text-align:right" | 1,678,000

| style="text-align:right" | 23,668

| style="text-align:right" | 14,993

| style="text-align:right" | 8,675

| style="text-align:right" | 14.1

| style="text-align:right" | 8.9

| style="text-align:right" | 5.2

| style="text-align:right" | 1.93

1999

| style="text-align:right" | 1,679,000

| style="text-align:right" | 22,957

| style="text-align:right" | 15,663

| style="text-align:right" | 7,294

| style="text-align:right" | 13.7

| style="text-align:right" | 9.3

| style="text-align:right" | 4.3

| style="text-align:right" | 1.90

2000

| style="text-align:right" | 1,683,000

| style="text-align:right" | 21,512

| style="text-align:right" | 14,903

| style="text-align:right" | 6,609

| style="text-align:right" | 12.8

| style="text-align:right" | 8.9

| style="text-align:right" | 3.9

| style="text-align:right" | 1.86

2001

| style="text-align:right" | 1,689,000

| style="text-align:right" | 21,962

| style="text-align:right" | 14,513

| style="text-align:right" | 7,449

| style="text-align:right" | 13.0

| style="text-align:right" | 8.6

| style="text-align:right" | 4.4

| style="text-align:right" | 1.75

2002

| style="text-align:right" | 1,697,000

| style="text-align:right" | 21,385

| style="text-align:right" | 14,586

| style="text-align:right" | 6,799

| style="text-align:right" | 12.6

| style="text-align:right" | 8.6

| style="text-align:right" | 4.0

| style="text-align:right" | 1.81

2003

| style="text-align:right" | 1,703,000

| style="text-align:right" | 21,648

| style="text-align:right" | 14,462

| style="text-align:right" | 7,186

| style="text-align:right" | 12.7

| style="text-align:right" | 8.5

| style="text-align:right" | 4.2

| style="text-align:right" | 1.76

2004

| style="text-align:right" | 1,710,000

| style="text-align:right" | 22,318

| style="text-align:right" | 14,354

| style="text-align:right" | 7,964

| style="text-align:right" | 13.0

| style="text-align:right" | 8.4

| style="text-align:right" | 4.7

| style="text-align:right" | 1.79

2005

| style="text-align:right" | 1,724,000

| style="text-align:right" | 22,328

| style="text-align:right" | 14,224

| style="text-align:right" | 8,104

| style="text-align:right" | 12.9

| style="text-align:right" | 8.2

| style="text-align:right" | 4.7

| style="text-align:right" | 1.84

2006

| style="text-align:right" | 1,742,000

| style="text-align:right" | 23,272

| style="text-align:right" | 14,532

| style="text-align:right" | 8,740

| style="text-align:right" | 13.4

| style="text-align:right" | 8.3

| style="text-align:right" | 5.0

| style="text-align:right" | 1.84

2007

| style="text-align:right" | 1,759,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,451

| style="text-align:right" | 14,649

| style="text-align:right" | 9,802

| style="text-align:right" | 13.9

| style="text-align:right" | 8.3

| style="text-align:right" | 5.6

| style="text-align:right" | 1.90

2008

| style="text-align:right" | 1,775,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,631

| style="text-align:right" | 14,907

| style="text-align:right" | 10,724

| style="text-align:right" | 14.4

| style="text-align:right" | 8.4

| style="text-align:right" | 6.0

| style="text-align:right" | 1.98

2009

| style="text-align:right" | 1,789,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,910

| style="text-align:right" | 14,413

| style="text-align:right" | 10,497

| style="text-align:right" | 13.9

| style="text-align:right" | 8.1

| style="text-align:right" | 5.8

| style="text-align:right" | 2.05

2010

| style="text-align:right" | 1,799,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,315

| style="text-align:right" | 14,457

| style="text-align:right" | 10,858

| style="text-align:right" | 14.1

| style="text-align:right" | 8.0

| style="text-align:right" | 6.1

| style="text-align:right" | 2.02

2011

| style="text-align:right" | 1,809,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,273

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 14,204

| style="text-align:right" | 11,069

| style="text-align:right" | 14.0

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 7.8

| style="text-align:right" | 6.2

| style="text-align:right" | 2.02

2012

| style="text-align:right" | 1,820,000

| style="text-align:right" | 25,269

| style="text-align:right" | 14,756

| style="text-align:right" | 10,513

| style="text-align:right" | 14.0

| style="text-align:right" | 8.1

| style="text-align:right" | 5.9

| style="text-align:right" | 2.03

2013

| style="text-align:right" | 1,830,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,277

| style="text-align:right" | 14,968

| style="text-align:right" | 9,309

| style="text-align:right" | 13.3

| style="text-align:right" | 8.2

| style="text-align:right" | 5.1

| style="text-align:right" | 1.95

2014

| style="text-align:right" | 1,840,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,394

| style="text-align:right" | 14,678

| style="text-align:right" | 9,716

| style="text-align:right" | 13.3

| style="text-align:right" | 8.0

| style="text-align:right" | 5.3

| style="text-align:right" | 1.96

2015

| style="text-align:right" | 1,851,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,215

| style="text-align:right" | 15,553

| style="text-align:right" | 8,662

| style="text-align:right" | 13.1

| style="text-align:right" | 8.4

| style="text-align:right" | 4.7

| style="text-align:right" | 1.94

2016

| style="text-align:right" | 1,862,000

| style="text-align:right" | 24,076

| style="text-align:right" | 15,430

| style="text-align:right" | 8,646

| style="text-align:right" | 12.9

| style="text-align:right" | 8.3

| style="text-align:right" | 4.6

| style="text-align:right" | 1.93

2017

| style="text-align:right" | 1,871,000

| style="text-align:right" | 23,075

| style="text-align:right" | 16,036

| style="text-align:right" | 7,039

| style="text-align:right" | 12.3

| style="text-align:right" | 8.6

| style="text-align:right" | 3.7

| style="text-align:right" | 1.85

2018

| style="text-align:right" | 1,882,000

| style="text-align:right" | 22,829

| style="text-align:right" | 15,923

| style="text-align:right" | 6,906

| style="text-align:right" | 12.1

| style="text-align:right" | 8.5

| style="text-align:right" | 3.6

| style="text-align:right" | 1.83

2019

| style="text-align:right" | 1,893,700

| style="text-align:right" | 22,447

| style="text-align:right" | 15,758

| style="text-align:right" | 6,689

| style="text-align:right" | 11.9

| style="text-align:right" | 8.3

| style="text-align:right" | 3.6

| style="text-align:right" | 1.80

2020

| style="text-align:right" | 1,896,000

| style="text-align:right" | 20,815

| style="text-align:right" | 17,614

| style="text-align:right" | 3,201

| style="text-align:right" | 11.0

| style="text-align:right" | 9.3

| style="text-align:right" | 1.7

| style="text-align:right" | 1.68

2021

| style="text-align:right" | 1,903,175

| style="text-align:right" | 22,071

| style="text-align:right" | 17,558

| style="text-align:right" | 4,513

| style="text-align:right" | 11.6

| style="text-align:right" | 9.2

| style="text-align:right" | 2.4

| style="text-align:right" | 1.79

2022

| style="text-align:right; | 1,910,500

| style="text-align:right" | 20,837

| style="text-align:right" | 17,159

| style="text-align:right" | 3,678

| style="text-align:right" | 10.9

| style="text-align:right" | 9.0

| style="text-align:right" | 1.9

| style="text-align:right" | 1.71

2023

| style="text-align:right; | 1,920,400

| style="text-align:right; | 19,962

| style="text-align:right" | 17,254

| style="text-align:right" | 2,708

| style="text-align:right; | 10.4

| style="text-align:right" | 9.0

| style="text-align:right" | 1.4

| style="text-align:right"| 1.64

2024

| style="text-align:right; color: blue"| 1,927,000

| style="text-align:right; color: red"| 19,419

| style="text-align:right" | 18,050

| style="text-align:right" | 1,369

| style="text-align:right; color: red" | 10.1

| style="text-align:right" | 9.4

| style="text-align:right" | 0.7

| style="text-align:right; color: red"| 1.62

=Current vital statistics=

{{cite web|title=Births|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/monthly-births|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|date=30 March 2017 |access-date=16 July 2024}}{{cite web|title=Deaths|url=https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/monthly-deaths|publisher=Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency|date=12 January 2017 |access-date=16 July 2024}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+

Period

! Live births

! Deaths

! Natural increase

January-March 2024

| 5,067

| 5,059

| +8

January-March 2025

| 4,848

| 4,841

| +7

Difference

| {{decrease}} -219 (-4.33%)

| {{decreasepositive}} -218 (-4.31%)

| {{steady}} -1

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

{{cite journal|last1=Kaufmann|first1=Eric|title=Demographic Change and Conflict in Northern Ireland: Reconciling Qualitative and Quantitative Evidence|journal=Ethnopolitics|volume=10|issue=3–4|year=2011|pages=369–389|issn=1744-9057|doi=10.1080/17449057.2011.596117|s2cid=10882870 |url=https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/4198/1/4198.pdf}}

{{Census in Ireland}}

{{Demographics of Europe}}

{{Ireland topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demography Of Northern Ireland}}