Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionals, Reporting by Amanda Ferguson, writing by Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries, editing by Alex Richardson and Raissa Kasolowsky, UK weighs possible takeover of Thames Water in event of collapse, Sky News reports, London stocks advance on banking, travel boost, Sage Group jumps, UK's Ofcom investigates BT following emergency call disruptions, ECB calls for 500,000 pounds fine for Yorkshire over Rafiq case, Lithuania buys NASAMS air defence for Ukraine, New Zealand signs range of pacts with China, Death toll rises to 10 in Russian attack on Ukraine's Kramatorsk, One in seven Britons faced hunger in 2022, says food bank charity, South Korea unveils sanctions on Russian national over North's weapons programmes. "There could be a referendum quicker than we think," said Mark Kelly, 50, a taxi driver from a nationalist part of Belfast whose WhatsApp group chats were buzzing with friends talking about the results. The statistics were: The percentage of people holding a British passport fell in every council area, while the numbers holding an Irish passport rose in all council areas. Duncan Morrow, a politics professor at Ulster University, said: The state was set up to put a protective ring around Protestants. These figures based on the 2021 census at district level mask wide variations on smaller scales. Over 41% of the population are Protestant or Roman Catholic. Also unlike the Republic, a large proportion of people in Northern Ireland have a British national identity. The Irish Nationalist Party held power in the House of Commons but wanted to gain Home Rule for autonomy in internal affairs. But its clear that most Protestants, like the rest of Northern Irelands populace, deplore talk of a return to violence. In the past 20 years, the number of people from a Protestant background has dropped by more than ten per cent. The percentage of respondents in each religious category of the census in Northern Ireland (or the area that would later become Northern Ireland). Census figures detailing the religious make-up of Northern Ireland were published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra) on Thursday. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. At that time, the population split was roughly two-thirds Protestant to one-third Catholic. Dr Paul Nolan, who specialises in monitoring the peace process and social trends, told BBC News NI that there could be more Catholics than Protestants in Northern Ireland by the centenary of the foundation of the state. [11], In the 2011 census Northern Ireland had substantially more people stating that they were Christian (82.2%) than did England (59.4%), Scotland (53.8%) or Wales (57.6%). The question on passports was added, initially to the censuses of England and Wales and of Northern Ireland, in order to help satisfy an EU requirement for data on citizenship while the UK was still a member state. Here are some tips. In Mays assembly election, Sinn Fin overtook the Democratic Unionist party as Northern Irelands largest party, boosting its calls for a referendum on Irish unity. (eds), St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Church of Ireland), St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh (Catholic), Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland, constitutional status of Northern Ireland, "Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland", "Census 2001: Religion (administrative geographies)", "Census 2011: Religion: KS211NI (administrative geographies)", "Census 2011: Key Statistics for Northern Ireland", "Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service", "Church of Ireland - A Member of the Anglican Communion", Northern Ireland Census 2001 Key Statistics, "Early Irish Bahs: Issues of Religious, Cultural, and National Identity", "Book Review; The Faiths of Ireland by Stephen Skuce", "Draft List of Deaths Related to the Conflict. Northern Irish Total population 1,810,863 89% of the population of Northern Ireland are native-born 29.44% of Northern Ireland's population identified as Northern Irish [1] Regions with significant populations The British Army, whose intervention quickly showed itself to be on the side of unionism, was confronted by the Irish Republican Army, which responded with its own brutal and sectarian campaign. This outcome, though not unexpected, is hugely symbolic. There is another gurdwara in Derry. By agreement between the Irish Government and Post Office Ltd, post offices in Northern Ireland provide a service whereby customers can apply for an Irish passport, operating alongside their service whereby customers can apply for a British passport. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. The highest number of non-British/Irish immigrants are in Belfast, followed by Craigavon Urban Area and Dungannon. At the 2021 census, the prevalence rates for the main religions were: Catholic (42 per cent); Presbyterian (16 per cent); Church of Ireland (11.5 per cent); Methodist (2.4 per cent); Other Christian or Christian-related denominations (6.9 per cent); other Religions and Philosophies (1.3 per cent); those declaring no religion (17.4 per cent) and religion not stated (1.5 per cent). Northern Ireland is actu. Northern Ireland's sectarian divisions can be traced back to the 17th century, when Protestant settlers from Scotland and England were "planted" in the northeastern part of the island to bolster the authority of the English Crown. Christianity is the largest religion in Northern Ireland. This is around double the 2011 figure (32,400 people) and four times the figures of 2001 (14,300 people). White people comprise over 98% of the total population. It is the de facto official language of Northern Ireland. When adding in these answers, the percentages of Catholics and Protestants rise to 45.7% and 43.5% respectively. The Peace Bridge over the river Foyle, in Derry, inaugurated by both Northern Irish and Irish leaders in 2011. The first election using these districts took place on 22 May 2014, electing councillors who sat in shadow form until 1 April 2015. For almost three decades, the conflict raged. Northern Ireland power sharing slips to 2023 as few relish a winter election, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Much of the population of Northern Ireland identifies with one of two different ideologies: unionism (which wants the region to remain part of the United Kingdom) and Irish nationalism (which wants a united Ireland ). When the census was taken in 2011, the population rose 7.5% since the previous census taken in 2001. Since 2011, the census has included questions on both passports held and national identity, for instance. This compares to 3.1% in the previous census. This has now grown to 17.4%. Lecturer in Comparative Politics, University of Birmingham. The most prevalent main language other than English remains Polish at 1.1%. [2] The Belfast Metropolitan Area dominates in population terms, with over a third of the inhabitants of Northern Ireland. This compares to 3.1% in the previous census. Brexit Queen's academic Dr Katy Hayward told BBC News NI's Good Morning Ulster that she believed the context of Brexit definitely had an impact on how people thought about Northern Ireland and. [1] The population density is 133 people per km2, less than half that of Great Britain but almost twice that of the Republic of Ireland. Eight-out-of-10 people took the online option. 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. Northern Ireland contains 27.1% of the total population and 16.75% of the total area of the island of Ireland. "I don't really take heed in it," said Jason Yeo, walking on Belfast's Protestant Shankill Road. 2002", Homepage of the Irish Bishops' Conference (Catholic), CatholicIreland.net, Content-rich portal of the Catholic Church in Ireland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religion_in_Northern_Ireland&oldid=1160246174, Other EU: Member countries prior to 2004 expansion, Other EU: Accession countries 2004 onwards, This page was last edited on 15 June 2023, at 08:44. [25] The Bahs held an international conference in Dublin in 1982 which was described as one of the very few occasions when a world event for a faith community has been held in Ireland". While there were a small number of Muslims already living in what became Northern Ireland in 1921, the bulk of Muslims in Northern Ireland today come from families who immigrated during the late 20th century. In terms of other languages, 12.4% had some ability in Irish. The arrangement stumbled along for close to two decades, never fully working yet crucially keeping the peace. B.R. The previous census, in 2011, found that 45.1% of the population were Catholic or brought up Catholic. Its people speak both Irish and dialects of English heavily influenced by the Scots language. The Association of Baptist Churches in Ireland and the Assemblies of God Ireland are also organised on an all-Ireland basis, though in the case of the Assemblies of God this was the result of a recent reorganisation. Northern Ireland is very populous, with a population of over 1.8 million. The responses available are United Kingdom, Ireland, other and none. [12][13][14][15] In Northern Ireland those who did not state any religion in the 2011 census amounted to 13.9% of the population, lower than in England (31.9%), Scotland (43.7%) or Wales (39.7%). Belfast is the most diverse local government district (7.1%) followed by Mid Ulster (4%) and Lisburn and Castlereagh (3.9%). Northern Ireland now has borders with Britain and Ireland and it is no longer a majority-Protestant state. It found 48.4% were from a Protestant or other Christian background. Patsy McGarry, Orthodox Christians of all shades now have a significant presence in Ireland. Stronger colours indicate greater predominance of either Catholics (blue) or Protestants (red). Percentage . Most of the people - over 88% -- were born in Northern Ireland. Given that Northern Ireland no longer has a majority community and might not gain a new one anytime soon, appealing to this emerging middle is going to be a big part of how the constitutional future will be won. It's now official that those from a Catholic background for the first time in Northern Ireland's 101-year history outnumber those from a Protestant background. When the king and queen of England came to Belfast to mark the opening of the new Northern Ireland Parliament, the streets were decked out with red, white and blue bunting. Eight-out-of-10 people took the online option. The general election of 1918 further divided the people and guerilla warfare led to the Anglo-Irish war. Laurence Cooley receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council. It is likely Catholics will outnumber Protestants by 2021 in Northern Ireland, according to a leading academic. Northern Ireland resulted from the division of the United Kingdom . The people could not contain themselves, according to Cecil Craig, the wife of the new prime minister. Two regional languages of Northern Ireland, Irish and Ulster Scots, are protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. When a border poll comes, the outcome will be decided in the ballot box rather than on census forms. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The Church is organised into four provinces though these are not coterminous with the modern political division of Ireland. The figures, which are being released in stages, were due to be published on Tuesday but that was delayed due to the Queen's funeral. 2023 BBC. The Catholic minority, known as nationalists because they aspired to be reunited with the rest of Ireland, had no such expectations. It is likely Catholics will outnumber Protestants by 2021 in Northern Ireland, according to a leading academic. It was precisely for this reason that in 2001, faced with the need for data for the purpose of equalities monitoring, that statisticians added the new question about religious background. Northern Ireland's population is at its highest level since it was established in 1921, The endangered languages that are fighting back. There are also residents from Brita in, the Republic of Ireland, and other areas. Compared with the previous census in 2011, the proportion of people with a British-only identity has decreased. Well on its way to having a Catholic majority, the countrys once dominant political force unionism now finds itself out of step with the community that traditionally gave it uncritical support. The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals. [7][5] In 2021, the number of Catholics by background (45.7%) overtook the Protestant and other Christian by background share (43.48%), becoming the plurality, with no group in the overall majority.[8][9][10]. The party has increased calls for a poll since Britain's decision to leave the EU in 2016, which 56% of Northern Irish voters opposed. The religious affiliations in the districts of Northern Ireland at the time of the 2011 census were as follows. [16] Those stating that they had no religion in the 2011 census were concentrated in largely Protestant areas, suggesting that they were mostly from a Protestant background. The largest groups were mixed ethnicities (14,400), black (11,000), Indian (9,900), Chinese (9,500) and Filipino (4,500). Read about our approach to external linking. It is the smaller of the two political entities on the island of Ireland by area and population, the other being the Republic of Ireland. (The reverse is true for Protestants, but to a lesser extent.) But discontent among nationalists inevitably built, finding form in the late 1960s in a civil rights campaign that aimed to secure basic rights for the Catholic minority. In the 2001 decennial census, the Census Office for Northern Ireland (CONI) asked a new question to attempt to achieve a more accurate depiction of the balance of the mainly unionist Protestant and mainly nationalist Catholic communities across Northern Ireland. By contrast, 41% of people in Northern Ireland identified as Catholic at the 2011 census; it is expected that this proportion will increase in the coming years. Violence nonetheless continued beyond this period and still manifests on a small-scale basis.[30]. Latest figures show that Northern Ireland comprises not just Catholics and Protestants but a third group that defies religious categorisation. The 2021 census gave people in Northern Ireland several national identity options, including British, Irish and Northern Irish. The vast majority of the population of Northern Island is white. By 2011, the proportion of immigrants from outside the UK and Ireland had risen to 4.3%, while the proportion born within them (outside Northern Ireland) had fallen to 6.7%. [18] The Muslims in Northern Ireland come from over 40 countries of origin, from Western Europe all the way through to the Far East. The war was over. the census, the first since Brexit, showed a loosening of British identity. Nor can unionists count on the votes of Protestants. What losses did Russia suffer in the Wagner revolt? [12][13][14][15] The proportion who stated that they had any religion was also higher in Northern Ireland (83%) than in England (68.1%), Scotland (56.3%) or Wales (60.3%). Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. In the latest census, it rose to 13.5%. This includes boycotts, violence, and political discourse. The results of the 2021 Northern Ireland census have been released and they show that 42.3% of the population identify as Catholic and 37.3% as Protestant or other Christian. While those describing themselves as Catholic or from a Catholic background now outnumber those from Protestant backgrounds, between 2011 and 2021, their share of the population only grew from 45.1% to 45.7%. [7], The religious affiliations in the different age bands in the 2011 census were as follows:[8], Christianity is the main religion in Northern Ireland. Twin sisters among 10 killed by Russian strike in Ukraine, Anger in Paris after police kill teen in traffic stop, Countdown has begun to end of Putin, say Kyiv officials, Van life is far from glamorous on LA's streets, China crackdown pushes LGBT groups into the shadows, The endangered languages that are fighting back. Its history dates back to the 1920s, when Ireland was split intro Southern and Northern regions. The previous census in 2011 showed Protestants outnumbered Catholics 48% to 45%. It might not even last another decade. The largest groups were mixed ethnicities (14,400), black (11,000), Indian (9,900), Chinese (9,500) and Filipino (4,500). It has to be as much a home for Arlene Foster and her family as for mine. In terms of other languages, 12.4% had some ability in Irish. Information was gathered on passports held by people usually resident in Northern Ireland. While in the 2011 census Protestants outnumbered Catholics in only half of the districts in Northern Ireland, those who considered themselves British outnumbered those who considered themselves Irish in twenty of the twenty-six districts in Northern Ireland. It is tempting to think that these questions were added because of their relevance to the debate about Northern Irelands future. Unionists are predominantly Ulster Protestant, most of whom belong to the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and the Church of Ireland. Opinion polling, however, has consistently shown that a significant minority of Catholics do not necessarily favour Irish reunification. He said: "The future of unionism depends entirely upon one thing - and I mean unionism with a small 'u' - it depends on winning the support of people who do not regard themselves to be unionists with a capital 'U'. Men in balaclavas, Union Jacks in their fists, have taken to the streets to express their grievances. A hundred years ago, the mood among unionists was jubilant. Ireland and Great . 805,200 : 42.3% . Drawing political conclusions from these figures, however, has always been problematic. The proportion of the population born outside Northern Ireland was 11% in 2011. The data on religious background a stark contrast to the states foundation in 1921, when Britain cleaved six counties from the rest of Ireland to create an entity with a two-thirds Protestant majority comes at a fraught time for unionism. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Among usual residents aged three years and over, English was not the main language for 4.6%. Not all Protestants are unionists, and not all Catholics are nationalist. More figures will be issued in the coming months relating to marital status, sexual orientation, household composition, health and disability. Perhaps ironically, the rise in the number of people saying they hold Irish passports from 375,800 in 2011 to 614,300 in 2021 is likely to have been driven as much by Brexit as by shifting demography. By contrast, the profile of the population from a Catholic background is much younger and in the same 20-year period has risen by around three per cent. [29] There are, however, three Mandirs in Belfast. Update 31 January 2020: This article was amended to clarify that religious affiliation does not necessarily denote political affiliation. Belfast is the most diverse local government district (7.1%) followed by Mid Ulster (4%) and Lisburn and Castlereagh (3.9%). As well as this, and despite the withdrawal of its constitutional claim to Northern Ireland in 1999, the Irish Government also grants the right to Irish citizenship to those born in Northern Ireland on the same basis and with the same provisos as those born within the Republic of Ireland. In 1914, four Ulster countries voted themselves out of provisions for a period of six years. You can listen to more articles from The Conversation, narrated by Noa, here. The census, published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, also showed Northern Ireland with its highest population, 1.9 million people, a 5% increase from 2011. In Northern Ireland national identity is complex. Another census question found that 32% of respondents identified solely as British, down from 40% in 2011, with 29% seeing themselves as Irish, up from 25%. The proportion of the resident population which is either Catholic or brought up Catholic is 45.7% compared to 43.48% Protestant. In the past 20 years, the number of people from a Protestant background has dropped by more than ten per cent. Meanwhile the Sinn Fin President Mary Lou McDonald responded to the DUP leader Arlene Foster saying she would "probably" leave in the event of a united Ireland. In 1998, the Good Friday Agreement brought an end to the violence and inaugurated a power-sharing executive, in which parties representing the two main communities operate in mandatory coalition. The 45-year-old, who plays in a pro-British marching band, said he does not think a United Ireland will happen in his lifetime. Results from the 2021 census released on Thursday showed that 45.7% of inhabitants are Catholic or from a Catholic background compared with 43.48% from Protestant or other Christian backgrounds. The latest census figures show that for the first time there are more people from a Catholic background in Northern Ireland than Protestant. At the time of the 2011 Census there were 3,832 living in Northern Ireland,[17] though the Belfast Islamic Centre states this number may be as high as 10,000 due to other social demographics such as students. There were people that were opposed to the idea. Compared with the previous census in 2011, the proportion of people with a British-only identity has decreased. Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four components of the United Kingdom in terms of both area and population, containing 2.9% of the total population and 5.7% of the total area of the United Kingdom. Demographers have long predicted that Catholics, who tend to be younger and have higher birth rates, could become a majority of voters within a generation. The latest census was the first to be held since the UK voted in 2016 to leave the European Union. [41][42], 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. According to the latest figures, 3.4% of Northern Ireland's population, which is 65,600 people, now belong to ethnic minority groups. It is not surprising that these most recent census results have been hailed by nationalists as signalling that Irish reunification is edging closer. The Parliament Act of 1911 put Ireland on the path to Home Rule. The latest census figures show that for the first time there are more people from a Catholic background in Northern Ireland than Protestant. A growing proportion of the Northern Irish population identifies as neither Catholic or Protestant. Taxation, public services and other bread and butter issues could be decisive, she added. According to the findings of the Special Eurobarometer conducted in May 2019, 50 percent of respondents identified as Christians (14 percent Protestants, 13 percent Catholics, 7 percent Orthodox, and 16 percent other Christians), 37 percent as atheists (9 percent anti-theists, 28 percent as 'nonbelievers and agnostics,' 5 percent as Muslims (3 p.
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