How many people live in Northern Ireland?

In around million people lived here:

What does our population look like?

Bar chart showing the population in four age groups. 16 and under is the smallest group. The next group is 16 to 39 which is larger. The next is age 40 to 64 which is the largest group. Last is age 65 and over which is smaller than the under 16 group.

In , approximately:

• % were children aged 15 or under
• % were adults aged 16 to 64
• % were 65 and over

Just over half (%) of the population was female.

How has our population changed?

Our population has been steadily growing.

In it was about million ().

That is an increase of just over people. That is equal to around two thirds of all the people who live in the Belfast council area. It is also one and a half times as many people who live in Derry City and Strabane.

What causes population change?

Three main factors drive population change:

• births
• deaths
• migration (people moving in and out of Northern Ireland)

Our population growth is due to more births than deaths, and more people coming to live here than leaving.

What does the future look like?

Our population is ageing.

To measure this and track how it changes over time, we use the average (median) age. If we lined up all our citizens from youngest to oldest, the one in the middle would be the median.

• In 1994 the median age was .
• In it was .

Our population is predicted to peak around years from now.

Line chart showing population figures and projections for Northern Ireland from 1971 to 2070. The chart shows a steady increase in population up to now, and growth projected to continue and then slowly decrease.

Our population growth is predicted to slow down, peak at million in and then fall to 1.91 million by 2049. That is based on trends in:

• how long we live
• how many babies are born
• numbers of people coming to live here and leaving to live elsewhere

Why are these statistics important?

Government departments use population statistics to plan public services such as education, health and transport. They help us plan how many schools, hospitals and care homes etc. we need.

They are also useful to academics and researchers. They help us calculate how often events (such as crimes or illnesses) occur per a certain number of people so we can make comparisons.

Where do these statistics come from?

The main population counts come from the census, which takes place every 10 years. The most recent was Census 2021.

Each year, NISRA then estimates how many people live in Northern Ireland on 30 June. This is called a 'mid-year estimate'. We start with last year's number, add babies born, subtract deaths, and count people who moved in or out.

Where can I find more census and population statistics?

There is a wide range of population statistics available on the NISRA website.

Census Area Explorer is an interactive, visual tool for exploring a wide range of census data. It allows you to select which geographical areas you wish to explore, and you can compare results with previous 2011 Census.

The Census Flexible Table Builder allows you to do your own analysis of census data.

There are lots of other census resources you can explore on the website.