| Group: | Northern Irish |
| 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] |
| Popplace: | Throughout Northern Ireland; and to a lesser degree the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain (highest proportions in Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne) |
| Rels: | Christianity (45.7% Roman Catholic, 43.7% Protestant, especially Presbyterianism, Anglicanism and Methodism), Neoshamanism, Buddhism, Atheism, Judaism |
| Languages: | |
| Related: |
The people in Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British citizen, an Irish citizen or is otherwise entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence, under the Belfast Agreement. Under the agreement, people of Northern Ireland have the right to identify either as Irish or British, or both, and their entitlement to Irish citizenship and British citizenship is recognised by the Government of Ireland and the Government of the United Kingdom.[2]
Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern Irish, Irish or British, or a combination thereof.[3]
In Northern Ireland, national identity is complex and diverse. The question of national identity[4] was asked in the 2021 census with the three most common identities given being British, Irish and Northern Irish. Most people of Protestant background consider themselves British, while a majority of people of Catholic background are Irish. This has origins in the 17th-century Plantation of Ulster.
In the early 20th century, most Ulster Protestants and Catholics saw themselves as Irish, although Protestants tended to have a strong sense of Britishness also.[5] Following the Home Rule Crisis and Irish War of Independence, Protestants gradually began to abandon Irish identity,[5] as Irishness and Britishness came to be seen moreso as mutually exclusive. In 1968 – just before the onset of the Troubles – 39% of Protestants described themselves as British and 20% of Protestants described themselves as Irish, while 32% chose an Ulster identity.[6] 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.[6] [7] This shift has not been reversed.[7] Meanwhile, the majority of Catholics have continued to see themselves as Irish.[6]
From 1989, 'Northern Irish' began to be included as an identity choice in surveys, and its popularity has grown since then.[7] Some organizations have promoted 'Northern Irish' identity as a way of overcoming sectarian division. In a 1998 survey of students, this was one of the main reasons they gave for choosing that identity, along with a desire to appear 'neutral'.[8] However, surveys show that 'Northern Irish' identity tends to have different meanings for Catholics and Protestants.[8] Surveys also show that those choosing 'Northern Irish' alone regard their national identity as less important than those choosing British and Irish.[8]
In recent Northern Ireland censuses, respondents could choose more than one national identity. In 2021:[9]
The main national identities given in recent censuses were:
| National identity of Northern Ireland residents[10] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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:
1,073,200 respondents total.
1,137,546 respondents total.
National Identity by Religion (2011)[11]
Those people in Northern Ireland who fall into the category of other 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)[12]
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)[13]
| District | British | Irish | Northern Irish | English, Scottish or Welsh | All Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55.2% | 20.1% | 30.4% | 2.3% | 3.9% | ||
| 73.6% | 7.5% | 31.9% | 1.9% | 1.5% | ||
| 44.4% | 32.4% | 27.1% | 1.1% | 3.9% | ||
| 69.0% | 11.1% | 27.9% | 1.4% | 3.8% | ||
| 60.6% | 16.4% | 30.9% | 1.7% | 1.7% | ||
| 61.1% | 16.2% | 31.8% | 1.5% | 1.8% | ||
| 43.2% | 34.8% | 26.8% | 1.5% | 5.1% | ||
| 76.5% | 5.3% | 30.3% | 2.1% | 1.8% | ||
| 66.2% | 14.7% | 31.3% | 1.5% | 2.6% | ||
| 62.4% | 14.5% | 31.6% | 2.0% | 3.2% | ||
| 37.3% | 33.5% | 32.1% | 1.2% | 3.7% | ||
| 48.3% | 25.6% | 28.7% | 1.4% | 6.4% | ||
| 23.7% | 55.0% | 24.6% | 1.4% | 2.0% | ||
| 40.2% | 32.2% | 34.1% | 1.9% | 2.0% | ||
| 30.9% | 38.8% | 27.1% | 0.9% | 9.6% | ||
| 37.2% | 36.1% | 29.5% | 1.7% | 3.1% | ||
| 69.8% | 10.1% | 31.4% | 2.1% | 1.2% | ||
| 42.2% | 32.0% | 30.7% | 1.5% | 1.4% | ||
| 55.6% | 24.7% | 28.7% | 2.0% | 2.4% | ||
| 31.4% | 42.7% | 29.8% | 1.0% | 2.8% | ||
| 38.6% | 34.1% | 32.1% | 2.2% | 1.4% | ||
| 20.2% | 53.0% | 27.6% | 1.2% | 4.3% | ||
| 66.5% | 13.4% | 31.2% | 1.3% | 2.4% | ||
| 71.1% | 9.1% | 33.0% | 3.0% | 2.4% | ||
| 28.6% | 40.9% | 32.7% | 1.1% | 3.4% | ||
| 33.0% | 39.2% | 31.8% | 1.4% | 1.3% |
National identity by religion or religion brought up in for each district (2011)[13]
| 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 | |
| 23.1% | 43.7% | 34.2% | 7.1% | 80.6% | 3.1% | 27.8% | 3.3% | 60.4% | 6.5% | 26.8% | 19.0% | |
| 34.1% | 31.7% | 38.2% | 6.4% | 80.9% | 3.7% | 30.4% | 2.2% | 67.7% | 6.0% | 35.1% | 9.1% | |
| 7.1% | 62.5% | 28.7% | 6.2% | 81.6% | 3.6% | 25.7% | 2.3% | 49.3% | 10.5% | 25.1% | 25.3% | |
| 24.6% | 38.9% | 34.7% | 11.0% | 83.6% | 2.7% | 25.7% | 2.5% | 62.3% | 6.5% | 28.4% | 14.4% | |
| 19.0% | 44.5% | 38.8% | 4.1% | 81.1% | 2.9% | 27.2% | 2.2% | 65.1% | 8.4% | 28.0% | 13.3% | |
| 22.6% | 41.7% | 39.4% | 4.5% | 81.2% | 3.8% | 27.7% | 2.0% | 59.1% | 8.3% | 33.8% | 11.5% | |
| 11.7% | 64.3% | 25.0% | 5.6% | 78.3% | 5.5% | 28.7% | 3.6% | 47.7% | 13.3% | 27.5% | 26.3% | |
| 41.1% | 24.6% | 35.6% | 10.7% | 82.0% | 3.0% | 29.2% | 2.4% | 68.3% | 5.3% | 33.7% | 8.5% | |
| 22.1% | 50.0% | 34.5% | 6.3% | 81.3% | 3.9% | 29.9% | 2.3% | 61.9% | 8.9% | 33.7% | 11.8% | |
| 25.0% | 39.2% | 36.5% | 8.4% | 79.1% | 4.3% | 29.3% | 2.6% | 56.5% | 10.3% | 33.4% | 16.8% | |
| 8.1% | 53.8% | 37.7% | 5.2% | 82.5% | 3.6% | 24.0% | 2.1% | 44.2% | 9.1% | 24.4% | 31.5% | |
| 12.2% | 51.2% | 31.5% | 10.6% | 82.5% | 3.2% | 26.3% | 2.7% | 49.9% | 9.1% | 26.7% | 26.4% | |
| 7.3% | 70.5% | 24.3% | 2.5% | 76.7% | 7.2% | 25.9% | 3.5% | 39.4% | 24.7% | 21.9% | 26.2% | |
| 20.1% | 47.4% | 37.1% | 2.9% | 77.4% | 5.6% | 28.7% | 3.6% | 52.1% | 14.4% | 32.1% | 16.7% | |
| 5.7% | 57.6% | 28.6% | 13.0% | 79.6% | 4.5% | 24.5% | 3.0% | 33.3% | 12.0% | 22.8% | 42.1% | |
| 11.4% | 56.2% | 32.4% | 4.8% | 77.1% | 6.2% | 25.5% | 3.0% | 43.4% | 16.8% | 24.0% | 28.1% | |
| 38.8% | 30.6% | 37.7% | 3.0% | 81.7% | 3.0% | 28.6% | 2.5% | 64.1% | 6.5% | 35.4% | 12.1% | |
| 18.1% | 50.5% | 34.4% | 2.5% | 79.8% | 4.1% | 24.9% | 2.5% | 51.4% | 10.9% | 28.8% | 18.7% | |
| 16.5% | 58.6% | 27.8% | 4.3% | 80.2% | 4.7% | 29.0% | 3.2% | 62.2% | 8.8% | 30.3% | 13.9% | |
| 6.5% | 62.1% | 33.0% | 3.8% | 82.4% | 4.2% | 23.1% | 2.3% | 46.9% | 13.4% | 30.2% | 22.1% | |
| 14.6% | 53.1% | 35.3% | 2.8% | 76.3% | 5.0% | 27.8% | 3.3% | 49.4% | 17.8% | 23.8% | 19.8% | |
| 7.1% | 64.7% | 28.0% | 5.0% | 76.3% | 5.8% | 26.8% | 3.8% | 34.6% | 22.8% | 22.1% | 28.9% | |
| 24.7% | 46.1% | 34.1% | 5.7% | 80.9% | 3.4% | 30.1% | 1.7% | 63.1% | 7.3% | 32.1% | 12.3% | |
| 37.1% | 31.5% | 36.1% | 9.7% | 78.8% | 5.2% | 31.9% | 3.4% | 63.7% | 7.9% | 35.7% | 11.6% | |
| 8.7% | 55.7% | 36.0% | 4.4% | 78.5% | 4.9% | 25.0% | 2.5% | 40.6% | 15.9% | 23.7% | 28.9% | |
| 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)
| 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% |
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:[14]
In the 2007 Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey,[15] 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
British
Irish
Ulster