Background Information on Northern Ireland Society
- Population and Vital Statistics

Population and Vital Statistics

2011 Census

Total population of Northern Ireland, 2011 = 1,810,800 (Census 27 March 2011)
(Figure rounded to the nearest 100)

• The 'first release' of information, based on the 2011 Census, was published on 16 July 2012.
• The usually resident population was recorded as 1,810,800. This is the highest population recorded for Northern Ireland. The figure represents a 7 per cent increase on the 2001 Census.
• There was an 18 per cent increase in the number of people aged 65 and over, compared with 2001.
• Average household size has decreased since 2001.
• The breakdown of religious composition will not be available until the 'fourth release' by the Census Office sometime between July and October 2013.

2001 Census

Total population of Northern Ireland, 2001 = 1,685,267 (Census 29 April 2001)
Total population of Republic of Ireland, 2002 = 3,917,336 (Census 28 April 2002)
Estimated population of Ireland, 2002 = 5,602,603

• NISRA, Census 2001 Output web site {external_link}
• Central Statistics Office Ireland, Census 2002 web site {external_link}
• The first report based on the 2001 Census was published on 30 September 2002. According to the report the population of Northern Ireland on Census Day (29 April 2001) was 1,685,267 (1.685 million). There were 821,449 males and 863,818 females. The population of the United Kingdom on Census Day 2001 was 58.789 million. Northern Ireland therefore constitutes 2.87 per cent of the total UK population. The age structure of the Northern Ireland population is the youngest in the UK. Children aged under 16 represent 24 per cent of the Northern Ireland population compared to 20 per cent in the UK as a whole. Conversely, Northern Ireland has proportionately fewer people of pensionable age (16 per cent of the population) compared to the UK (18 per cent).
  The contents of the Census 2001 Population Report can be downloaded from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) web site {external_link}.
• The second report of the 2001 Census was published on 19 December 2002. The report provided information on the religious breakdown of the population. Based on two census questions, religion and religion brought up, the breakdown was reported as 43.76% Catholic, 53.13% Protestant, 0.39% Other, 2.72% none. (Where 'Protestant' represented 'Protestant and other Christian, including Christian related'; and where 'Other' represented 'Other religions and philosophies'). [Following the 1991 Census it was estimated that 41.5 per cent of the population was Catholic (based on revised figures).]

   

  Historical information:

• The population in Northern Ireland has been increasing steadily for the past number of years, and according to future projections, it will continue to do so for the next 20 years or so. It has also a relatively young population, with 54.6% being under the age of 35, and 24.7% of whom are under 16 years of age.
• In 1997, Northern Ireland had the lowest proportion of pensioners (males over 65 years and females over 60 years) of any other region in the UK, and the lowest proportion of persons aged 65 years or over. In Northern Ireland, only 12.8% of the population are aged over 65 years, compared with 15.7% for the UK as a whole, and an EU average of 15.8%.
• Over the ten years from 1987-1997, live births per 1000 of the population in Northern Ireland fell from 17.7 in 1987 to 14.5 in 1997. This rate of 14.5 (per 1000 of the population) in Northern Ireland in 1997 compares with 14.3 in the Republic of Ireland, 12.3 in England and Wales, and 11.6 in Scotland for the same year.
• For the same period from 1987-1997, deaths per 1000 of the population in Northern Ireland fell from 9.7 in 1897 to 8.9 in 1997. This figure of 8.9 (per 1000 of the population) in Northern Ireland in 1997 compares with 10.7 in the UK as a whole, 8.6 in the Republic of Ireland, 10.6 in England and Wales, and 11.6 in Scotland for the same year.

Sources:
The following tables provide further breakdowns of the populations statistics available for Northern Ireland. Much of this material has been derived from the Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics (1996, 1999, 2002), Regional Trends (1996) and the Irish Almanac and Yearbook of Facts (1997, 2000), the Economic Outlook and Business Review, (1999), and Census Reports.

2011 Census
Usually Resident Population in Northern Ireland: by age group and sex (2011)
Northern Ireland population; households; and average household size (2011)

2001 Census
Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Age and Sex (2001)

Combined Information
Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Age and sex (1996 estimates)
Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Religious Denomination (1991, 2001, and 2011 census returns)
Catholic population in Northern Ireland - Census returns and estimates 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011
Country of Birth - Census 2011 (Extract from table: KS204NI)
National Identity (Classification 1) - Census 2011 (Extract from table: KS202NI)
Towns in Northern Ireland with 1,000 or more persons within Local Government Districts (1991 census returns)     [table on separate page]
Breakdown of Population by District Council (1987-1996)
Percentage of Catholics in each District Council area for 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011 (adjusted figures based on census data)
    See also the following maps:
    Catholics and Protestants as a percentage of the population, district council areas, 1991
    Distribution of Catholics at Ward Level, Maps for Greater Belfast and Northern Ireland (2001)
Household Sizes in Northern Ireland (compared to Britain)
Emigration Figures for Northern Ireland, 1991-1996
Table NI-POP-10: Migration to and from Northern Ireland, 1991, 1996, 1999, 2000
Population Projections for Northern Ireland, 1996-2026
Births, Deaths and Marriages in Northern Ireland, 1988-1996

See Also:

Counties of Ireland - Population, Major Towns/Cities, Land Area, and Rank by Area, (1996 Estimated Figures)

Census 2011

Note:
Table based on Census figures released by NISRA: Census 2011 - Population and Household Estimates for Northern Ireland: Phase one of the first release from the 2011 Census (Released 16 July 2012).

Note:
1. Number of households containing at least one usual resident.

Census 2001

Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Age (2001 Census)

Note:
* 45-64 for males; 45-59 for females
** 65 and over for males: 60 and over for females
Source: Northern Ireland Census 2001 Population Report and Mid-Year Estimates (2002); p.7

Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Age (1996 Estimates)

Source: Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1998, p.9

Population in Northern Ireland: Breakdown by Religious Denomination (1991 and 2001 census)

Catholic population in Northern Ireland - Census returns and estimates 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011

Country of Birth - Census 2011 (Extract from table: KS204NI)

National Identity (Classification 1) - Census 2011 (Extract from table: KS202NI)

Breakdown of Population by District Council
1987-1996 figures, usually resident home population (Thousands); and 2001 Census (Number)

Source: Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 1998, p.8; and
Northern Ireland Census 2001 Population Report (2002), Table P2

Notes:
1. Figures based on adjustments by Compton (Compton, Paul. 1978, Northern Ireland: A Census Atlas. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.)
2. Figures based on adjustments by Compton and Power (Compton, Paul. Power, John. 1986, 'Estimates of the Religious Composition of Northern Ireland Local Government Districts in 1981 and Change in the Geographical Pattern of Religious Composition between 1971 and 1981'. The Economic and Social Review, 17, 2 Spring: 87-105.)
3. Figures based on adjustments by Compton (unpublished estimates supplied by The Equality Commission, 1999)
4. Figures based on the additional question about community / religious background in the 2001 Census which allowed those initially recorded as 'persons with no religion or religion not stated' to be ascribed to the main religious groupings.
5. Figures based on the additional question about community / religious background in the 2011 Census which allowed those initially recorded as 'persons with no religion or religion not stated' to be ascribed to the main religious groupings.

Source of unadjusted figures:
1971 Census Religion Report
1981 Census Religion Report
1991 Census Religion Report
Northern Ireland Census 2001 Key Statistics (2002), Table: KS07b
Northern Ireland Census 2011 Key Statistics (2012), Table: Religion or Religion Brought Up In: KS212NI (administrative geographies)

    See also the following maps:
    Catholics and Protestants as a percentage of the population, district council areas, 1991
    Distribution of Catholics at Ward Level, Maps for Greater Belfast and Northern Ireland (2001)

Household Sizes in Northern Ireland
(compared to Britain)

Note: .. not available
Source: Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1998, p.18; and
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002, Table 2.1

Emigration Figures for Northern Ireland, 1991-1996
(to the nearest 1,000)

Source: Regional Trends, 1998, p.46

Population Projections for Northern Ireland, 1997 - 2026

Source: Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1998, p.13

Births, Deaths and Marriages in Northern Ireland, 1988-1996
(Registered)

Source: Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics, 1998, p.10; and
Northern Ireland Annual Abstract of Statistics 2002, Table 1.7