Communities in Northern Ireland
Protestants largest community
Community background (religion or religion brought up in), April 2001, Northern Ireland
People from a Protestant community background make up the largest group in Northern Ireland. In 2001, 53 per cent of the population was from a Protestant community background. People from a Catholic community background made up the second largest group (44 per cent).
There were similar proportions of men and women in each of the communities. 49 per cent of people from a Protestant background were men and 51 per cent were women. Among Catholics, 48 per cent were men and 52 per cent were women. In contrast, those with no religious community background were more likely to be men (55 per cent).
Northern Ireland data on religion are different to those for Great Britain because a very different Census question was asked in Northern Ireland. The religious categories were all divisions of the Christian category together with an 'other religion' option. The distinction between Catholics and Protestants was not available for the rest of Great Britain.
People from a Protestant community background have an older age structure than those from a Catholic community background. In 2001, 17 per cent of Protestants were aged 65 years or over compared with 10 per cent of Catholics. Conversely, over a quarter (27 per cent) of people from a Catholic community background were under 16 years of age, compared with a fifth (20 per cent) of those from a Protestant background.
Northern Ireland is divided into five European Union geographic areas (NUTS), but only one of these areas, Belfast, was inhabited by roughly equal proportions of people from Catholic and Protestant community backgrounds in 2001 (47 per cent and 49 per cent respectively).
Outer Belfast and East of Northern Ireland were the areas with the highest proportions of people from a Protestant background (74 per cent and 62 per cent respectively). The highest proportions of people from a Catholic background were found in the West and South of Northern Ireland (65 per cent) and in the North of Northern Ireland (57 per cent).
The spatial concentration of the different religions can be seen at a smaller geographical level. People from Catholic and Protestant community backgrounds were represented in roughly equal numbers in only two of the 26 local government districts in Northern Ireland in 2001 – Armagh and Belfast.
Protestants formed the majority population in 13 local government districts and in six of these districts they made up more than three quarters of the population. The highest concentrations of Protestants were found in Carrickfergus (85 per cent), Ards (83 per cent) and North Down (80 per cent).
Catholics formed the majority population in 11 local government districts. However, they accounted for more than three quarters of the local population in only two: Newry and Mourne (where 81 per cent were from the Catholic community) and Derry (where 75 per cent were Catholics).
Source: Census, April 2001, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Notes: The term community background refers to a person's current religion or if no current religion is stated, the religion that that person was brought up in. Protestant includes 'Other Christian' and 'Christian related', and those brought up as Protestants. Catholic includes those respondents who gave their religion as Catholic or Roman Catholic, and those brought up as Catholics.
NUTS stands for European Union Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics. NUTS is a hierarchical classification of areas that provide a breakdown of the European Union's economic territory so that regional statistics that are comparable across the Union can be produced.
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