Northern Ireland Population 2024

As of 09 October 2024, the population of Northern Ireland is approximately 1,939,200 (1.9 million).

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and NISRA, the population of Northern Ireland has been increasing steadily, and in the last few years, there has been a growth of around 0.9% each year. The growth rate for Northern Ireland has been relatively modest in recent years, generally ranging from about 0.3% to 0.9% annually.

Northern Ireland is a very small place, and it is a part of the United Kingdom, in which its share is around 2.9%.

10 Interesting Facts About Northern Ireland

1. The population of Northern Ireland is estimated to be around 1.94 million in 2025.
2. Both Irish Gaelic and English are spoken languages.
3. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday celebrated by Catholics around the world.
4. A famous breakfast dish in Northern Ireland is the Ulster Fry, which ingredients bacon, eggs, soda bread, and potato bread.
5. Giant’s Causeway is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist spot with 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns.
6. The city of Belfast in Northern Ireland is the birthplace of the historic ship Titanic.
7. Guinness and Harp Lager beer are popular here.
8. Belfast is 49% Catholic and 42% Protestant populated.
9. Some parts of the famous Game of Thrones TV series were shot in Northern Ireland.
10. The oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world is Bushmills Distillery, which started in 1608.

Source: ireland.com

Northern Ireland Population Growth Rate by Years

As of Statista, the population of Northern Ireland increased by 4.92% from 2013 to 2023.

The population growth rate of Northern Ireland is gradually increasing. The growth rate of the last few years (2011-2024) has been as follows:

This growth rate is slow but consistent; approximately 6,000 to 14,000 people are added annually.

Northern Ireland Population Growth Rate The population growth rate in Northern Ireland has been progressively increasing at about 0.3% to 0.9% annually since 2004, when the population was around 1.7 million. Growth is attributable to natural increase (more births and fewer deaths) as well as very small migration inflows.

Since 2004, the average lifespan has improved with better healthcare delivery and improved living standards; therefore, it is a variable that has greatly contributed to population growth. On census day, 2011, a population of 1.81 million was recorded in Northern Ireland. This was a significant increase from the population of 2004, and this trend continued with each successive census, by which time, to 2021, it had increased to 1.9 million.

The population of Northern Ireland is projected to reach 2.5 million by 2031, according to census results.

Largest cities in Northern Ireland by Population

Belfast is the most populated and largest city in Northern Ireland.

City council report shows that in 2015, Belfast had a population of 336,830 and a 3.3% continued growth rate population is approximately 348,100 in 2024.

Belfast is the capital as well as the second-largest city on the island of Ireland, and the 11th-greatest city in the United Kingdom.

Other major Northern Ireland cities and towns are Derry/Londonderry, Craigavon, Newtownabbey, Bangor, and Lisburn. All these cities have immense cultural, industrial, and historical value.

The population of the Top 10 Cities and Towns in Northern Ireland 2024 Table:

Northern Ireland Religious Breakdown

Christianity is the largest religion in Northern Ireland.

According to the Northern Ireland census in 2021, 42.3% of Catholics are the largest religious group of the total population. The second religious group was Protestant, consisting of 16.6% in Presbyterians, 11.5% in Church of Ireland, and 2.3% in Methodist. In NI are also 6.9% of other Christian denominations followers, while only 1.3% are non-Christian (Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism). The important fact is that in the latest census, 17.4% of people follow ‘No religion’, which was 10.1% in 2011. This reflects the secularisation of Northern Ireland.

The Census reported when the state of Northern Ireland was established in 1921, it was a Protestant-majority state. But in 2011, Catholics outnumbered Protestants. As of now, neither of them is in the majority as of 2024.

Northern Ireland Ethnicity Population by Race (2024 Updated)

White ethnic people are the 96.55% of NI’s total population.

The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland recently issued its report based on the 2021 Census. According to this, white ethnicity is 96.55% or 1,837,575 people of the entire population. Of this majority white ethnicity, 31.86% are British, 29.13% Irish, and 19.78% Northern Irish.

The Ethnic Minority Groups Only 3.45% or 65,604 people belong to ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland 2024. Mixed Ethnicity is 0.76% or 14,382 the highest proportion of people with approximately, while 0.52% or 9,881 Indians have the second biggest community. Chinese 0.50% and 0.42% Black African communities form the population respectively at 9,495 and 8,069 people.

The Irish Travellers stand at 0.14% at 2,609 people while the Roma community accounts for 0.08% at 1,529 people.

Northern Ireland Population Language Wise

As of 16 October 2024, English is the main language of 95.4% of the population aged 3 and over.

According to the NISRA report, 95.4% of people (1,751,500) speak English as their primary language. Whereas 4.6% or 85,100 people speak a different language other than English. Others most often spoken: Polish 1.06%, Lithuanian 0.47%, Irish 0.32%, Romanian 0.30%, and Portuguese 0.27%.

Out of those who speak another language besides English, 76.3% of residents speak English very or somewhat well. On the other hand, 1.1% of the population is unable to speak or could not speak English very or somewhat well.

Northern Ireland Population Density Graph

Northern Ireland’s population density is 140.2 people per square kilometre (2021 census).

The total area of ​​Northern Ireland is 14,130 km2 (5,460 square miles).

The density MAP shows Belfast and surrounding areas being the most densely populated, with a density of 2,500 people per km². In contrast, rural areas such as Fermanagh and Tyrone have a much lower density, with only 50-100 per km².

What Type of Economy Is Northern Ireland?

The primary industries in Northern Ireland’s economy are machinery and equipment manufacturing, food processing, textiles, and electronics manufacturing.

The economy of Northern Ireland is service as well as manufacturing-based. Although it was once a manufacturing base with leading sectors in shipbuilding and textiles, today the service sector is the most important, with significant government employment jobs, healthcare, education, and financial services.

GDP and Growth

The GDP for Northern Ireland will be 1.2% in 2024 and is seen as one of the fastest-growing regions in the United Kingdom. As a result of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the economy has grown 38%, which is nearly on the growth level and close to that in the UK and Scotland. Trade is also good; exports were worth £6.8 billion in the year ending June 2024 with a trade surplus of 0.5%.

The labour market has well recovered from COVID-19. Work is returning to pre-pandemic levels, and unemployment is at a very low 2.6%.

Challenges

There is high economic inactivity in Northern Ireland, with 26.8% not working mainly because of illness or disability compared with the UK average of 20.8%.

Weak labour supply growth is another problem, resulting from low population growth and net migration.