Appendix 2: Belfast’s population by Section 75 dimension
Religious belief
On Census Day 2021, 43.5 per cent of Belfast City Council’s usual residents were from a Catholic community background compared with 39.7 per cent from a Protestant or other Christian related background.
Belfast had a slightly higher percentage of people identifying their religion as “Other” or “None” than the NI average.Footnote Sixteen
| Catholic | Protestant and Other Christian (including Christian related) (%) | Other religions (%) | Religion or religion brought up in: None (%) | Not stated (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 43.5 | 29.7 | 3.0 | 21.7 | 2.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 42.3 | 37.4 | 1.3 | 17.4 | 1.6 |
Political opinion
Sixty councillors were elected to Belfast City Council at the last local council elections on 18 May 2023. The table below provides an overview of the number of councillors by each political party.
| Party | No. of councillors |
|---|---|
| Sinn Féin | 22 |
| Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) | 14 |
| Alliance Party | 11 |
| Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) | 5 |
| Green Party Northern Ireland | 3 |
| Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) | 2 |
| Independent | 1 |
| People Before Profit Alliance | 1 |
| Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) | 1 |
| Total | 60 |
Ethnic group
According to the 2021 Census, the largest ethnic group in Belfast included people who identified as White (92.9 per cent), followed by Chinese (1.4 per cent), Indian (1.3 per cent), people of mixed ethnicity (1.2 per cent) and Black African (1.2 per cent).Footnote Seventeen
| Ethnic group | Belfast | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| White | 92.9% | 96.6% |
| Irish Traveller | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Roma | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Indian | 1.3% | 0.5% |
| Chinese | 1.4% | 0.5% |
| Filipino | 0.5% | 0.2% |
| Pakistani | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Arab | 0.3% | 0.1% |
| Other Asian | 0.5% | 0.3% |
| Black African | 1.2% | 0.4% |
| Black Other | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Mixed | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Other ethnicities | 0.3% | 0.2% |
People born in other EU countriesFootnote Eighteen comprised 3.8 per cent of Belfast’s population, and people born in the rest of the world comprised 6.1 per cent.Footnote Nineteen
The 2021 census also found that 93.0 per cent of Belfast’s population (aged 3 years and over) have English as their main language. Other main languages are Polish (spoken by 1.2 per cent of the population), Irish (0.8 per cent), Chinese (0.7) and Arabic (0.6).
Age
According to the 2021 Census, Belfast has a relatively young population with 55.2 per cent of the population aged under 40 compared to 50.4 per cent of the NI population.Footnote Twenty
| 0-14 years | 15-39 years | 40-64 years | 65+ years | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 18.0% | 37.1% | 30.1% | 14.7% |
| Northern Ireland | 19.2% | 31.2% | 32.4% | 17.2% |
NISRA (the NI Statistics and Research Agency) projects that the proportion of older people (aged 65+) will increase to 24.8 per cent by mid-2045. The proportion of older people will overtake the proportion of children (aged 0–15) for the first time by mid-2027.Footnote Twenty-one
Marital status
On Census day 2021, Belfast had a higher proportion of single residents than the whole NI population.Footnote Twenty-two
| Residents aged 16 and over | Belfast | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Single (never married or registered civil partnership) | 49.8% | 38.1% |
| Married | 32.9% | 45.6% |
| In a civil partnership | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Separated (but still legally married or in a civil partnership) | 4.7% | 3.8% |
| Divorced or formerly in a civil partnership which is now legally dissolved | 6.2% | 6.0% |
| Widowed or surviving partner from a civil partnership | 6.1% | 6.4% |
Sexual orientation
According to the 2021 Census, 87.1 per cent of the Belfast population identifies as straight or heterosexual, which is less than across the who NI population (90.0 per cent).Footnote Twenty-three
| Straight or heterosexual | Gay or lesbian | Bisexual | Other sexual orientation | Prefer not to say | Not stated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 87.1% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 0.3% | 5.2% | 3.6% |
| Northern Ireland | 90.0% | 1.2% | 0.7% | 0.2% | 4.6% | 3.3% |
A commonly used estimate of LGBTQ+ people in the UK, accepted by Stonewall UK, is approximately 5 to 7 per cent of the population.
Men and women generally
At 51.3 per cent, Belfast has slightly more female residents than male. The difference is largest in the over 65 population.Footnote Twenty-four
Disability
The 2021 Census asked people to what extent a long-term health problem or disability limits their day-to-day activities. Just over 1 in 4 (26.7 per cent) Belfast residents have a limiting health condition or disability, which is higher than the proportion of residents across NI.Footnote Twenty-five
| Day-to-day activities limited a lot | Day-to-day activities limited a little | Day-to-day activities not limited | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 13.6% | 13.2% | 73.3% |
| Northern Ireland | 11.5% | 12.9% | 75.7% |
Belfast residents are also more likely to have multiple long-term health conditions (18.9 per cent compared to the NI average of 16.6).Footnote Twenty-six
The most common conditions were long-term pain or discomfort (12.7 per cent of the population), mobility or dexterity difficulty (12.2 per cent), shortness of breath or difficulty breathing (12.0 per cent) and emotional, psychological or mental health condition (11.7 per cent). 5.7 per cent of the population have deafness or partial hearing loss and 2.0 per cent has blindness or partial sight loss.
Dependants
The 2021 Census found that 28.6 per cent of households in Belfast included a dependent child compared to 33.9 per cent of households across NI. This includes 19.2 per cent which are lone parent households (higher than the NI average of 17.1 per cent).Footnote Twenty-seven
The 2021 Census also found that 12.3 per cent of Belfast residents provide unpaid care for a dependant adult. People aged 40 to 64 (20.1 per cent) and 65 and over (12.0 per cent) are most likely to provide unpaid care.Footnote Twenty-eight
Footnotes
Footnote 16: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-religion-tables
Footnote 17: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-ethnicity-tables
Footnote 18: Excluding NI, GB and ROI
Footnote 19: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-country-of-birth
Footnote 20: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-age-and-sex
Footnote 21: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/2020-based-interim-population-projections-northern-ireland
Footnote 22: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-household-relationships
Footnote 23: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-sexual-orientation-tables
Footnote 24: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-age-and-sex
Footnote 25: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables
Footnote 26: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables
Footnote 27: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-demography-tables-household-relationships
Footnote 28: www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/census-2021-main-statistics-health-disability-and-unpaid-care-tables
