Demographics of Northern Ireland

Population

The total population estimate for Northern Ireland as recorded by the UK Census 2011 was 1,810,863 of whom 887,323 were men and 923,540 were women. This is an increase of 125,800 (7.5%) over the ten-year period since the last census.[1]

Historic population trends

Year Population Change
1841 1,648,945 –
1851 1,442,517 Decrease
1861 1,396,453 Decrease
1871 1,359,190 Decrease
1881 1,304,816 Decrease
1891 1,236,056 Decrease
1901 1,236,952 Increase
1911 1,250,531 Increase
1926 1,256,561 Increase
1951 1,370,921 Increase
1961 1,425,042 Increase
1971 1,536,065 Increase
†1981 1,543,000 Increase
†1991 1,607,300 Increase
2001/2 1,685,267 Increase
2011 1,810,863 Increase

† Data based on mid-year estimates

  • Source: Historic Population Trends NISRA, Accessed 11 February 2013

Place of birth

Place of Birth 2001 population 2001% 2011 population 2011%
Northern Ireland: 1,534,268 91.0 1,608,853 88.84
England: 61,609 3.7 64,717 3.57
Scotland: 16,772 1.0 15,455 0.85
Wales: 3,008 0.2 2,552 0.14
Republic of Ireland: 39,051 2.3 37,833 2.09
Member States of the EU: 10,355 0.6
Member States of the EU joined prior to 2004 9,703 0.54
Member States of the EU joined after 2004 35,704 1.97
Other Outside the EU: 20,204 1.2 36,046 1.99
Total 1,685,267 100 1,810,863 100

Sources: NISRA 2001 Census Country of Birth: administrative geographies, Accessed 3 June 2013

Ethnicity

The following table shows the 2001 and 2011 census estimated for ethnic groups

Ethnic group 2001 population 2001% 2011 population 2011%
White: 1,670,988 99.15 1,778,449 98.21
White: Irish Traveller/Gypsy 1,710 0.10 1,301 0.07
White: Total 1,672,698 99.25 1,779,750

98.28

Asian or Asian British: Indian 1,567 0.09 6,198 0.34
Asian or Asian British: Pakistani 666 0.04 1,091 0.06
Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi 252 0.01 540 0.03
Asian or Asian British: Chinese 4,145 0.25 6,303 0.35
Asian or Asian British: Asian Other 194 0.01 4,998 0.28
Asian or Asian British: Total 6,824 0.40 19,130 1.06
Black or Black British: Caribbean 255 0.02 372 0.02
Black or Black British: African 494 0.03 2,345 0.13
Black or Black British: Other 387 0.02 899 0.05
Black or Black British: Total 1,136 0.07 3,616

0.20

Mixed: Total 3,319 0.20 6,014 0.33
Other: Any other ethnic group:Total 1,290 0.08 2,353

0.13

Total 1,685,267 100 1,810,863 100

Sources: NISRA 2011 Census: Ethnic Group: Accessed 3 June 2013

See also Ethnic minorities in Northern Ireland

Languages spoken

In 2011, the census results indicated that of the resident population of 1,735,711 aged three and over, English was the main language spoken by 1,681,171 (96.9%). For 3.1 per cent (54,500) of residents, aged 3 years and over, for whom English was not their main language, the most prevalent language was Polish spoken by 17,731 people, (1.0%). Irish Gaelic was ranked fourth with 4,164 (0.24%) speakers, behind Lithuanian which was spoken by 6,250 (0.36%).[2]

However, it is worth noting that just under 65,000 (3.7%) can speak, read, write and understand Irish and nearly 185,000 (10.7%) have reported having some ability in Irish.[3]

Religion

See also Religion in Northern Ireland and List of districts in Northern Ireland by community make-up

The following table shows the 2001 and 2011 census estimates for the reglion stated are set out below.

Religion stated 2001 2011
Number % Number %
Roman Catholic 678,462 40.2 738,033 40.8
Presbyterian Church in Ireland 348,742 20.7 345,101 19.1
Church of Ireland 257,788 15.3 248,821 13.7
Methodist Church in Ireland 59,173 3.5 54,253 3.0
Other Christian 102,221 6.1 104,380 5.8
(Total non-Roman Catholic Christian) 767,924 45.6 752,555 41.6
(Total Christian) 1,446,386 85.8 1,490,588 82.3
Other religion 5,028 0.3 14,859 0.8
No religion 183,164 10.1
Religion not stated 122,252 6.8
(No religion and Religion not stated) 233,853 13.9 305,416 16.9
Total population 1,685,267 100.0 1,810,863 100.0

Source: NISRA 2011 Census Religion: KS211NI administrative geographies, Accessed 21 December 2012

Age

According to the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Authority the average (median) age increased from 34 years to 37 years between the 2001 and 2011 Censuses. Over the same period, the share of the population represented by children aged under 16 years fell from 24 per cent to 21 per cent, while the proportion of people aged 65 years and over rose from 13 per cent to 15 per cent.[4]

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

Source: Table 1 2011 Census: Usual resident population by five-year age group and sex, United Kingdom and constituent countries, Accessed 22 December 2011

Summary of vital statistics since 1900

Average population (x 1000)[5][6][7] Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000)
1901 30 782 23 954 6 828
1902 30 707 23 171 7 536
1903 31 290 23 096 8 194
1904 31 550 23 536 8 014
1905 31 405 22 949 8 456
1906 31 389 23 039 8 350
1907 30 969 23 754 7 215
1908 30 600 23 133 7 467
1909 30 640 22 275 8 365
1910 1 246 30 219 22 576 7 643 24.3 18.1 6.1
1911 1 249 30 407 21 326 9 081 24.3 17.1 7.3
1912 1 248 30 301 21 698 8 603 24.3 17.4 6.9
1913 1 243 29 880 22 510 7 370 24.0 18.1 5.9
1914 1 242 29 704 21 671 8 033 23.9 17.4 6.5
1915 1 210 28 082 22 438 5 644 23.2 18.5 4.7
1916 1 205 26 623 20 764 5 859 22.1 17.2 4.9
1917 1 208 24 949 21 011 3 938 20.7 17.4 3.3
1918 1 214 26 212 25 013 1 199 21.6 20.6 1.0
1919 1 250 27 496 22 836 4 660 22.0 18.2 3.8
1920 1 258 32 521 21 017 11 504 25.8 16.7 9.1
1921 1 264 29 710 19 301 10 409 23.7 15.4 8.3
1922 1 269 29 531 19 795 9 736 23.2 15.6 7.6
1923 1 259 30 097 18 790 11 307 23.9 14.9 9.1
1924 1 258 28 496 20 299 8 197 22.7 16.1 6.5
1925 1 257 27 686 19 784 7 902 22.0 15.8 6.3
1926 1 254 28 162 18 827 9 335 22.5 15.1 7.4
1927 1 250 26 676 18 216 8 460 21.4 14.6 6.8
1928 1 247 25 963 18 004 7 959 20.9 14.4 6.4
1929 1 240 25 410 19 822 5 588 20.5 16.0 4.4
1930 1 237 25 879 17 148 8 731 20.9 13.9 7.0
1931 1 243 25 673 18 049 7 624 20.7 14.5 6.2
1932 1 251 25 107 17 812 7 295 20.1 14.2 5.8
1933 1 258 24 601 18 154 6 447 19.6 14.5 5.1
1934 1 265 25 365 17 521 7 844 20.1 13.9 6.2
1935 1 271 24 742 18 592 6 150 19.5 14.6 4.8
1936 1 276 25 909 18 429 7 480 20.3 14.4 5.9
1937 1 281 25 412 19 282 6 130 19.8 15.1 4.8
1938 1 286 25 742 17 649 8 093 20.0 13.7 6.3
1939 1 295 25 240 17 542 7 698 19.5 13.5 5.9
1940 1 299 25 363 18 941 6 422 19.5 14.6 4.9
1941 1 308 26 887 20 034 6 853 20.6 15.3 5.2
1942 1 329 29 645 17 570 12 075 22.3 13.2 9.1
1943 1 341 31 521 17 720 13 801 23.5 13.2 10.3
1944 1 357 30 900 16 980 13 920 22.8 12.5 10.3
1945 1 359 29 007 16 432 12 575 21.3 12.1 9.3
1946 1 350 30 134 16 706 13 428 22.3 12.4 9.9
1947 1 350 31 254 16 944 14 310 23.2 12.6 10.6
1948 1 362 29 532 15 145 14 387 21.7 11.1 10.6
1949 1 371 29 106 15 670 13 436 21.2 11.4 9.8
1950 1 377 28 794 15 839 12 955 20.9 11.5 9.4
1951 1 373 28 477 17 628 10 849 20.7 12.8 7.9
1952 1 375 28 760 14 812 13 948 20.9 10.8 10.1
1953 1 384 28 984 14 813 14 171 20.9 10.7 10.2
1954 1 387 28 803 15 124 13 679 20.8 10.9 9.9
1955 1 394 28 965 15 407 13 558 20.8 11.1 9.7
1956 1 397 29 489 14 858 14 631 21.1 10.6 10.5
1957 1 399 30 108 15 187 14 921 21.5 10.9 10.7
1958 1 402 30 301 15 132 15 169 21.6 10.8 10.8
1959 1 408 30 809 15 403 15 406 21.9 10.9 10.9
1960 1 420 31 989 15 296 16 693 22.5 10.8 11.8
1961 1 427 31 915 16 108 15 807 22.4 11.3 11.1
1962 1 435 32 565 15 226 17 339 22.7 10.6 12.1
1963 1 446 33 414 15 899 17 515 23.1 11.0 12.1
1964 1 458 34 345 15 354 18 991 23.6 10.5 13.0
1965 1 469 33 890 15 551 18 339 23.1 10.6 12.5
1966 1 478 33 228 16 441 16 787 22.5 11.1 11.4
1967 1 491 33 415 14 671 18 744 22.4 9.8 12.6
1968 1 502 33 173 15 933 17 240 22.1 10.6 11.5
1969 1 513 32 428 16 338 16 090 21.4 10.8 10.6
1970 1 525 32 086 16 551 15 535 21.0 10.9 10.2
1971 1 540 31 765 16 202 15 563 20.6 10.5 10.1
1972 1 539 29 994 17 032 12 962 19.5 11.1 8.4
1973 1 530 29 200 17 669 11 531 19.1 11.5 7.5
1974 1 527 27 160 17 327 9 833 17.8 11.3 6.4
1975 1 524 26 130 16 511 9 619 17.1 10.8 6.3
1976 1 524 26 361 17 030 9 331 17.3 11.2 6.1
1977 1 523 25 437 16 921 8 516 16.7 11.1 5.6
1978 1 523 26 239 16 153 10 086 17.2 10.6 6.6
1979 1 528 28 178 16 811 11 367 18.4 11.0 7.4
1980 1 533 28 582 16 835 11 747 18.6 11.0 7.7
1981 1 543 27 302 16 256 11 046 17.7 10.5 7.2
1982 1 545 27 025 15 918 11 107 17.5 10.3 7.2
1983 1 551 27 225 16 039 11 186 17.6 10.3 7.2
1984 1 557 27 693 15 692 12 001 17.8 10.1 7.7
1985 1 565 27 635 15 955 11 680 17.7 10.2 7.5
1986 1 574 28 152 16 065 12 087 17.9 10.2 7.7
1987 1 582 27 865 15 334 12 531 17.6 9.7 7.9
1988 1 585 27 767 15 813 11 954 17.5 10.0 7.5
1989 1 590 26 080 15 844 10 236 16.4 10.0 6.4
1990 1 596 26 499 15 426 11 073 16.6 9.7 6.9
1991 1 607 26 265 15 096 11 169 16.3 9.4 7.0
1992 1 623 25 572 14 988 10 584 15.8 9.2 6.5
1993 1 636 24 909 15 633 9 276 15.2 9.6 5.7
1994 1 644 24 289 15 114 9 175 14.8 9.2 5.6
1995 1 649 23 860 15 310 8 550 14.5 9.3 5.2
1996 1 662 24 582 15 218 9 364 14.8 9.2 5.6
1997 1 671 24 277 14 971 9 306 14.5 9.0 5.6
1998 1 678 23 668 14 993 8 675 14.1 8.9 5.2
1999 1 679 22 957 15 663 7 294 13.7 9.3 4.3
2000 1 683 21 512 14 903 6 609 12.8 8.9 3.9
2001 1 689 21 962 14 513 7 449 13.0 8.6 4.4
2002 1 697 21 385 14 586 6 799 12.6 8.6 4.0
2003 1 703 21 648 14 462 7 186 12.7 8.5 4.2
2004 1 710 22 318 14 354 7 964 13.0 8.4 4.7
2005 1 724 22 328 14 224 8 104 12.9 8.2 4.7
2006 1 742 23 272 14 532 8 740 13.4 8.3 5.0
2007 1 759 24 451 14 649 9 802 13.9 8.3 5.6
2008 1 775 25 631 14 907 10 724 14.4 8.4 6.0
2009 1 789 24 910 14 413 10 497 13.9 8.1 5.8
2010 1 799 25 315 14 457 10 858 14.1 8.0 6.1
2011 1 809 25 273 14 204 11 069 14 7.8 6.2
2012 1 820 25 270 14 756 10 514 13.9 8.1 5.8

Other miscellaneous statistics

Life expectancy at birth:[8]
Men: 77.2 years
Women: 80.8 years

Infant mortality rate:[8]
6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1999)

Total Period Fertility Rate (TPFR)[www.nisra.gov.uk/demography]: 2.06 children born/woman (2011)

HIV/AIDS prevalence rate:[9]
0.024% (2005 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS:[9]
408 (2005)

See also

References

Sovereign states
Dependencies and
other territories
Other entities
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