 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(September 2022) |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,903,173 (2021)[1] According to the 2021 census, 86.5% of the population of NI were born in NI - 93.5% were born in the UK or Republic of Ireland.[1] 19.78% identified themselves as Northern Irish, down from 29.44% in 2011.[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| ThroughoutNorthern Ireland; and to a lesser degree theRepublic of Ireland andGreat Britain (highest proportions inLiverpool,Manchester andNewcastle upon Tyne) | |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyChristianity (45.7%Roman Catholic, 43.7%Protestant, especiallyPresbyterianism,Anglicanism andMethodism) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Northern Irish people are those born inNorthern Ireland who, at the time of their birth, have at least one parent who is aBritish citizen, anIrish citizen, or otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland indefinitely under theBelfast Agreement.[3]
Most Northern Irish people either identify asBritish, Northern Irish,Irish,[a] or a combination thereof.[4] The 20th century conflict known asThe Troubles, whichended in effect in 1999, was primarily caused by tensions between people who had these different identites, and their connections to religion (Anglican protestants andCatholics).[5]
In Northern Ireland, national identity is complex and diverse. The question of national identity[6] was asked in the 2021 census with the three most common identities given beingBritish,Irish and Northern Irish. Most people of Protestant background consider themselves British, while a majority of people of Catholic background self-describe as Irish. Many people from both communities consider themselves to have a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity. This has origins in the 17th-centuryPlantation of Ulster.
In the early 20th century, mostUlster Protestants and Catholics saw themselves as Irish, with Protestants mostly considering "Irish" to be a distinct category of "British", likeScottish orWelsh.[7] Following theHome Rule Crisis andIrish War of Independence, Protestants gradually began to turn away from Irish identity,[7] as Irish and British nationality came to be seen increasingly as mutually exclusive. In 1968 – just before the onset ofthe Troubles – 39% of Protestants described themselves as British and 20% of Protestants described themselves as Irish, while 32% chose anUlster identity.[8] By 1978, following the worst years of the conflict, there had been a large shift in identity amongst Protestants, with the majority (67%) now calling themselves British and only 8% calling themselves Irish.[8][9] This shift has not been reversed.[9] Meanwhile, the majority of Catholics have continued to see themselves as Irish.[8]
From 1989, 'Northern Irish' began to be included as an identity choice in surveys, and its popularity has grown since then.[9] Some organizations have promoted a distinct Northern Irish or Ulster identity as a way of overcoming sectarian division and recognizing the distinctculture andhistory of Northern Ireland. In a 1998 survey of students, this was one of the main reasons they gave for so identifying, along with a desire to appear 'neutral'.[10] However, surveys show that Northern Ireland identity tends to have different meanings for Catholics and Protestants.[10] Surveys also show that those choosing 'Northern Irish' alone regard their national identity as less important than those choosing British and Irish.[10]
In recent Northern Ireland censuses, respondents could choose more than one national identity. In 2021:[11]
The main national identities given in recent censuses were:
| National identity of Northern Ireland residents[12][11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity | 2011 | 2021 | |
| British only | 39.9% | 31.9% | |
| Irish only | 25.3% | 29.1% | |
| Northern Irish only | 20.9% | 19.8% | |
| British & Northern Irish | 6.2% | 8.0% | |
| Irish & Northern Irish | 1.1% | 1.8% | |
| British, Irish & Northern Irish | 1.0% | 1.5% | |
| British & Irish | 0.7% | 0.6% | |
The numbers for each identity were as follows:
| National identity | Respondents |
|---|---|
| British only | 606,300 |
| Irish only | 554,400 |
| Northern Irish only | 376,400 |
| English, Scottish or Welsh | 29,000 |
| Other | 113,400 |
1,073,200 respondents total.
| National Identity | Respondents |
|---|---|
| British only | 876,577 |
| Northern Irish only | 533,085 |
| Irish only | 513,390 |
| English, Scottish or Welsh | 29,187 |
| Other | 61,884 |
1,137,546 respondents total.
National Identity by Religion (2011)[14]
Those people in Northern Ireland who fall into the category ofother religions amounts to less than one percent of the population.
| National Identity | All | Catholic | Protestant and other Christian | Other religions | No religion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British | 48.4% | 12.9% | 81.6% | 50.1% | 55.9% |
| Irish | 28.4% | 57.2% | 3.9% | 12.4% | 14.0% |
| Northern Irish | 29.4% | 30.7% | 26.9% | 18.0% | 35.2% |
| English, Scottish or Welsh | 1.6% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| All other | 3.4% | 4.4% | 1.0% | 29.1% | 7.1% |
Detail by Religion (2011)[15]
Note that Northern Ireland is made up of approximately 42% Protestant; 41% Roman Catholic; 17% no religion; and 0.8% other religions.
| National Identity | All | Catholic | Protestant and other Christian | Other religions | No religion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British only | 39.9% | 10.3% | 68.3% | 42.4% | 42.9% |
| Irish only | 25.3% | 53.2% | 2.1% | 8.1% | 9.4% |
| Northern Irish only | 20.9% | 26.9% | 14.5% | 12.0% | 23.7% |
| British and Northern Irish only | 6.2% | 0.9% | 11.1% | 3.3% | 7.9% |
| Irish and Northern Irish only | 1.1% | 2.0% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| British, Irish and Northern Irish only | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 2.1% |
| British and Irish only | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| English, Scottish or Welsh only | 1.0% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 2.1% | 3.5% |
| Other | 4.0% | 4.7% | 1.6% | 29.9% | 8.7% |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
National Identity by District (2011)[16]
| District | British | Irish | Northern Irish | English, Scottish or Welsh | All Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antrim | 55.2% | 20.1% | 30.4% | 2.3% | 3.9% |
| Ards | 73.6% | 7.5% | 31.9% | 1.9% | 1.5% |
| Armagh | 44.4% | 32.4% | 27.1% | 1.1% | 3.9% |
| Ballymena | 69.0% | 11.1% | 27.9% | 1.4% | 3.8% |
| Ballymoney | 60.6% | 16.4% | 30.9% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Banbridge | 61.1% | 16.2% | 31.8% | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| Belfast | 43.2% | 34.8% | 26.8% | 1.5% | 5.1% |
| Carrickfergus | 76.5% | 5.3% | 30.3% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Castlereagh | 66.2% | 14.7% | 31.3% | 1.5% | 2.6% |
| Coleraine | 62.4% | 14.5% | 31.6% | 2.0% | 3.2% |
| Cookstown | 37.3% | 33.5% | 32.1% | 1.2% | 3.7% |
| Craigavon | 48.3% | 25.6% | 28.7% | 1.4% | 6.4% |
| Derry | 23.7% | 55.0% | 24.6% | 1.4% | 2.0% |
| Down | 40.2% | 32.2% | 34.1% | 1.9% | 2.0% |
| Dungannon | 30.9% | 38.8% | 27.1% | 0.9% | 9.6% |
| Fermanagh | 37.2% | 36.1% | 29.5% | 1.7% | 3.1% |
| Larne | 69.8% | 10.1% | 31.4% | 2.1% | 1.2% |
| Limavady | 42.2% | 32.0% | 30.7% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Lisburn | 55.6% | 24.7% | 28.7% | 2.0% | 2.4% |
| Magherafelt | 31.4% | 42.7% | 29.8% | 1.0% | 2.8% |
| Moyle | 38.6% | 34.1% | 32.1% | 2.2% | 1.4% |
| Newry and Mourne | 20.2% | 53.0% | 27.6% | 1.2% | 4.3% |
| Newtownabbey | 66.5% | 13.4% | 31.2% | 1.3% | 2.4% |
| North Down | 71.1% | 9.1% | 33.0% | 3.0% | 2.4% |
| Omagh | 28.6% | 40.9% | 32.7% | 1.1% | 3.4% |
| Strabane | 33.0% | 39.2% | 31.8% | 1.4% | 1.3% |
National identity by religion or religion brought up in for each district (2011)[16]
| District | Catholic | Protestant and other Christian | Other Religion or None | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British | Irish | Northern Irish | All Other | British | Irish | Northern Irish | All Other | British | Irish | Northern Irish | All Other | |
| Antrim | 23.1% | 43.7% | 34.2% | 7.1% | 80.6% | 3.1% | 27.8% | 3.3% | 60.4% | 6.5% | 26.8% | 19.0% |
| Ards | 34.1% | 31.7% | 38.2% | 6.4% | 80.9% | 3.7% | 30.4% | 2.2% | 67.7% | 6.0% | 35.1% | 9.1% |
| Armagh | 7.1% | 62.5% | 28.7% | 6.2% | 81.6% | 3.6% | 25.7% | 2.3% | 49.3% | 10.5% | 25.1% | 25.3% |
| Ballymena | 24.6% | 38.9% | 34.7% | 11.0% | 83.6% | 2.7% | 25.7% | 2.5% | 62.3% | 6.5% | 28.4% | 14.4% |
| Ballymoney | 19.0% | 44.5% | 38.8% | 4.1% | 81.1% | 2.9% | 27.2% | 2.2% | 65.1% | 8.4% | 28.0% | 13.3% |
| Banbridge | 22.6% | 41.7% | 39.4% | 4.5% | 81.2% | 3.8% | 27.7% | 2.0% | 59.1% | 8.3% | 33.8% | 11.5% |
| Belfast | 11.7% | 64.3% | 25.0% | 5.6% | 78.3% | 5.5% | 28.7% | 3.6% | 47.7% | 13.3% | 27.5% | 26.3% |
| Carrickfergus | 41.1% | 24.6% | 35.6% | 10.7% | 82.0% | 3.0% | 29.2% | 2.4% | 68.3% | 5.3% | 33.7% | 8.5% |
| Castlereagh | 22.1% | 50.0% | 34.5% | 6.3% | 81.3% | 3.9% | 29.9% | 2.3% | 61.9% | 8.9% | 33.7% | 11.8% |
| Coleraine | 25.0% | 39.2% | 36.5% | 8.4% | 79.1% | 4.3% | 29.3% | 2.6% | 56.5% | 10.3% | 33.4% | 16.8% |
| Cookstown | 8.1% | 53.8% | 37.7% | 5.2% | 82.5% | 3.6% | 24.0% | 2.1% | 44.2% | 9.1% | 24.4% | 31.5% |
| Craigavon | 12.2% | 51.2% | 31.5% | 10.6% | 82.5% | 3.2% | 26.3% | 2.7% | 49.9% | 9.1% | 26.7% | 26.4% |
| Derry | 7.3% | 70.5% | 24.3% | 2.5% | 76.7% | 7.2% | 25.9% | 3.5% | 39.4% | 24.7% | 21.9% | 26.2% |
| Down | 20.1% | 47.4% | 37.1% | 2.9% | 77.4% | 5.6% | 28.7% | 3.6% | 52.1% | 14.4% | 32.1% | 16.7% |
| Dungannon | 5.7% | 57.6% | 28.6% | 13.0% | 79.6% | 4.5% | 24.5% | 3.0% | 33.3% | 12.0% | 22.8% | 42.1% |
| Fermanagh | 11.4% | 56.2% | 32.4% | 4.8% | 77.1% | 6.2% | 25.5% | 3.0% | 43.4% | 16.8% | 24.0% | 28.1% |
| Larne | 38.8% | 30.6% | 37.7% | 3.0% | 81.7% | 3.0% | 28.6% | 2.5% | 64.1% | 6.5% | 35.4% | 12.1% |
| Limavady | 18.1% | 50.5% | 34.4% | 2.5% | 79.8% | 4.1% | 24.9% | 2.5% | 51.4% | 10.9% | 28.8% | 18.7% |
| Lisburn | 16.5% | 58.6% | 27.8% | 4.3% | 80.2% | 4.7% | 29.0% | 3.2% | 62.2% | 8.8% | 30.3% | 13.9% |
| Magherafelt | 6.5% | 62.1% | 33.0% | 3.8% | 82.4% | 4.2% | 23.1% | 2.3% | 46.9% | 13.4% | 30.2% | 22.1% |
| Moyle | 14.6% | 53.1% | 35.3% | 2.8% | 76.3% | 5.0% | 27.8% | 3.3% | 49.4% | 17.8% | 23.8% | 19.8% |
| Newry and Mourne | 7.1% | 64.7% | 28.0% | 5.0% | 76.3% | 5.8% | 26.8% | 3.8% | 34.6% | 22.8% | 22.1% | 28.9% |
| Newtownabbey | 24.7% | 46.1% | 34.1% | 5.7% | 80.9% | 3.4% | 30.1% | 1.7% | 63.1% | 7.3% | 32.1% | 12.3% |
| North Down | 37.1% | 31.5% | 36.1% | 9.7% | 78.8% | 5.2% | 31.9% | 3.4% | 63.7% | 7.9% | 35.7% | 11.6% |
| Omagh | 8.7% | 55.7% | 36.0% | 4.4% | 78.5% | 4.9% | 25.0% | 2.5% | 40.6% | 15.9% | 23.7% | 28.9% |
| Strabane | 8.9% | 57.4% | 35.4% | 2.6% | 79.2% | 4.7% | 25.2% | 1.9% | 40.9% | 21.1% | 25.5% | 26.4% |
National Identity by Age (2011)[13]
| Ages attained (years) | British | Irish | Northern Irish | English, Scottish or Welsh | All other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 15 | 45.1% | 31.4% | 30.5% | 0.9% | 3.6% |
| 16 to 24 | 44.2% | 32.3% | 29.6% | 1.5% | 3.3% |
| 25 to 34 | 40.5% | 31.0% | 30.0% | 1.7% | 8.6% |
| 35 to 44 | 47.3% | 28.7% | 29.3% | 2.1% | 4.5% |
| 45 to 54 | 50.8% | 28.3% | 28.0% | 1.9% | 2.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 54.5% | 24.9% | 28.8% | 1.9% | 1.1% |
| 65 to 74 | 57.5% | 21.3% | 29.8% | 1.7% | 0.4% |
| 75 to 84 | 58.6% | 19.6% | 29.1% | 1.6% | 0.3% |
| 85 and over | 61.7% | 18.0% | 26.5% | 2.0% | 0.2% |
 | This graph was using thelegacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to thenew Chart extension. |
In 1998 the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey started asking respondents whether they think of themselves as British, Irish, Ulster, or Northern Irish. According to the 2019 survey of this series, individuals from Northern Ireland identify as:[17]
| This graph was using thelegacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to thenew Chart extension. |
In the 2007 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey,[22] the question was asked,"thinking about each of these national identities in turn, how strongly do you feel yourself to be [Irish/British/Northern Irish/Ulster?]" Individuals responded for each of the identities as follows:
Northern Irish[21]
British[18]
Irish[19]
Ulster[20]
In the 2021 census of Northern Ireland, 95.37% of people spoke English as a First Language, with 1.10% speaking Polish, 0.49% speaking Lithuanian and 0.32% speaking Irish.In the 2021 Northern Ireland Census, 0.32% of the population (5,969 people) reported Irish as their main home language, up from 0.24% (4,164 people) in 2011, a 43% increase. Additionally, 12.4% (228,600 people) reported some ability in Irish, a 23.7% rise from 10.7% (184,898 people) in 2011, reflecting significant growth in Irish language usage, driven by increased Irish-medium education and legislative recognition, such as the Identity and Language Act of 2022.[23] At the same time, 1.14% of the population said they could speak and readUlster Scots.[24]
In 2022, 24,700 people left NI to live elsewhere; just over half of these moved to other parts of the UK.[25]
It is estimated that between 1921 and 1999, about half a million people left NI.[26]
In 2020, it was noted that 40% of people in NI live in a rural setting.[27] It was also noted that over 49,000 people were involved in the farming industry (1 in 40 people).[28]
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