Census 2021 Records NI's Largest Ever Population

The latest census data has revealed NI's largest ever resident population of 1,903,175 on census day, 21 March 2021.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has today published the first raft of statistics from the census collected last year.

The census data showed that the population "continued to age" and while the overall population increased by five per cent, the number of people aged 65 or more grew by nearly 25. The data also shows that population ageing has been happening across each of the 11 local councils.

Census 2021 shows us that the population is also becoming more diverse. Minority ethnic groups have increased in size and the number of people living here born outside the UK and Ireland is up to around one person in fifteen, the highest ever recorded. Census 2021 data on main language, passports and national identity all

point to an increasingly diverse population.

On religion, the statistics point to the increasing secularisation of our population. This pattern of increasing diversity and

secularisation is seen across all council areas.

Some key findings of the Census 2021 include:

• The Northern Ireland usually resident population increased by 5.1 per cent (92,300) from 2011 to 2021. The Census 2021 population is recorded at 1,903,175 people, up from 1,810,863 people in 2011.

• Belfast remains the largest council by population with 345,400 people in 2021 and Fermanagh & Omagh remains the smallest council by population with 116,800 people in 2021.

• On census day 2021, there were 768,810 occupied households in Northern Ireland, up 9.3 per cent from the 703,275 recorded in 2011.

• In Census 2021 the number of one person households stood at 234,600 (30.5 per cent of all households). This is up from 196,400 one person households in 2011 (27.9 per cent). In 2021, the number of one person households is the highest on record, and research has shown that this change is driven at least in part by our ageing population.

Passports held

• In Census 2021, 1,484,700 people (78.0 per cent) held a single passport and 116,300 people (6.1 per cent) held more than one passport. In contrast, one person in six (15.9 per cent) or 302,200 people did not hold a passport.

• The number of people holding a United Kingdom passport solely or jointly was 1.00m people in 2021. This is a decrease from the 1.07m people recorded as holding a United Kingdom passport solely or jointly in 2011.

• The number of people holding an Ireland passport solely or jointly

increased from 375,800 people in 2011 to 614,300 people in 2021, an increase of 63.5 per cent. This is consistent with the increasing demand for Ireland passports since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

• In 2021 there were 92,500 people resident in Northern Ireland (or 4.9 per cent of our population) who held a non-UK/Ireland passport only. This is an increase from 2011, when 54,200 people resident in Northern Ireland (or 3.0 per cent of our population) held a non-UK/Ireland passport only.

Religion

• In 2021, the main current religions were: Catholic (42.3 per cent); Presbyterian (16.6 per cent); Church of Ireland (11.5 per cent); Methodist (2.3 per cent); Other Christian denominations (6.9 per cent); and Other Religions (1.3 per cent).

• In addition 17.4 per cent of our population had 'No religion' – this is a marked increase on 2011 when 10.1 per cent had 'No religion'. This points to the increased secularisation of our population.

• The proportion of the population in Census 2021 with 'No religion' ranges from 30.6 per cent in Ards & North Down council to 7.8 per cent in Mid Ulster council. All councils are more secular in 2021 than they were ten years ago.

• Combining current religion and religion of upbringing gives 45.7 per cent of our population who were 'Catholic', 43.5 per cent who were 'Protestant', 'Other Christian or Christian related' and 1.5 per cent who were from other nonChristian religions.

• The remaining 9.3 per cent of our population, or 177,400 people in Census 2021 neither belonged to nor were brought up in any religion. This group has increased in size from 2011 when 5.6 per cent or 101,200 people were recorded in this way.

All of the statistical releases can be read in full on the NISRA website.